Best Buds
by Neji'sGirl185
Summary: A collection of one-shots retelling moments between Tenten and her best friends. Chapter 14: "Oh dear, I think she's going to blow." His shoulders slumped and Genma's face was set in a mock pout. "I don't want to spend my day cleaning up kid guts, so if you could be so kind as to scoot to the other side of the stream…"
1. Shikamaru: Lucky

**A/N: **Hey, I'm back to rule the world. So this whole story will be a series of one-shots, just because I don't have time to do a full blown-out story. Well I got this inspiration for this one-shot from watching a replay of the Big 12 Championships. Yes, the infamous game where the Texas Longhorns beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers by one point at the last second, literally. It was so unfair, but a win is a win no matter how slim. I decided to write a Shikamaru and Tenten story first, just because Shikamaru is legit. But no worries, there **will** be a NejiTen story :)

I hope you guys enjoy!

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><p><strong><span>Best Buds<span>**

***-Shikamaru Nara-***

_Shikamaru Nara had always considered himself lucky. He was lucky to be born into the Nara Clan as the heir. He was lucky to be the smartest in his class without even trying. Heck, he was even lucky to be averagely attractive. But the first time he conversed with Tenten, he actually thought about how lucky he was. No one was around or at least wanted to be around them that day. The sereneness of the training field almost drove him crazy. All he heard was his own heart thumping intensely against his rib cage. You see, Shikamaru was pinned to a tree with many sharp and dangerous weapons. And Tenten was holding a kunai to his neck with one hand, while the other hand gripped his collar tightly. It was after the failed Sasuke retrieval mission, and she was livid. _

_How he didn't see this coming, he would never know. _

_"You bastard! I was worried sick about Neji and Lee! They almost died!" She applied more pressure to the kunai, almost drawing blood. Shikamaru was scared beyond his wits. His palms were sweaty and the bark from the tree dug into his back. How troublesome._

_"It was unnecessary to be worried." He spoke with as much courage as he could muster up. After the words flew out of his mouth, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Shikamaru cursed himself for being stupid. She pressed closer to him, getting in his personal bubble._

_"It was unnecessary to be worried?" She laughed maniacally. This laugh sounded empty and hollow. It was unlike her usual one, which were light and filled with cheerfulness. _

_"You don't understand! You have a whole clan behind you! I have no one! The closest thing that I have to a family is my team! And you almost took that away from me!" A teardrop cascaded down her pain-stricken face while she gripped his shirt tighter._

_"I'm sorry." He whispered gently, as if raising his voice any higher would crumble her to pieces._

_"Don't. Don't you dare pity me!" She screamed. By now, her face was marred with wet streaks. She felt weak and vulnerable. Tenten never wanted anyone to see her like this, especially him. He was the one who doubted her abilities and predicted for her to lose. He underestimated her. This would only add fuel into the fire._

_She shamefully released her grip on his shirt and lowered her kunai back into her pouch. She placed her weapons back into her scrolls with a snap of her fingers. Half a second later, she was ready to sprint away from the training field. But, before she could disappear, Shikamaru trapped her in his Shadow Possession Jutsu. Walking closer to her, he embraced her tightly, not letting her go. He didn't know what possessed him to do that, but he just wanted to console her somehow, and this was the best plan he had._

_"I'm really sorry, I-I don't know how to ever make it up to you, but all I know is that right now, I deserve whatever you do to me. I can't even imagine what you went through, and I apologize for all of it. So if you want to kill me, I won't mind." Shikamaru took a kunai from his weapons pouch and deposited it into her hand. He guided her hand with the kunai to his neck. He closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. She pulled her arm back. _

_This is it, he thought. It's over. But instead of delivering the final blow, Tenten dropped the kunai to the ground with a loud thud. She wrapped her arms around him tighter and sobbed into his chest. Shikamaru opened his eyes slowly in disbelief. Was he really still alive? He examined himself carefully. Yes indeed, he was still alive. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug. Shikamaru was extremely lucky that day. He got to play shogi for another day._

*..*..*..*..*..*

It was Saturday, and Saturdays meant shogi days.

Shikamaru sat crissed-crossed applesauce on the hard wood floor. His partner doing the same. He studied the board carefully, his hand positioned on his chin in a thinking pose. Crap. He was going to lose. This sucks. He never loses! Wait. Yes! His sharp eyes found an opening and he made his move. He picked up the desired piece with his hand; the coolness of the ceramic chilled his fingers. The piece clattered towards its spot on the board with a distinctive click.

He looked up into the eyes of the twin-bun kunoichi and smirked confidently. Tenten lifted the delicate tea cup to her lips and took a sip, relishing its sweet taste. She set the cup back down gently and returned her gaze to the board. After a few moments, she looked up at him with irritation in her eyes.

"Noob, you cheated." Tenten crossed her arms defiantly and stared at him with disgust. Shikamaru shutter from the mean glare sent his way.

"Troublesome. I didn't cheat." Shikamaru set his arms one the table, one arm propping his chin up boredly.

"Yes, you did! There's no way you could've won! I had you cornered and everything! I should've won!" She pointed an accusing finger at him, her face set in a grim expression.

"I didn't cheat. You just failed epically." He sighed. Why must all shogi games end like this?

"Me fail? That's like Naruto hating ramen! It just doesn't happen, Mister!" Her voice was higher now, as it always is when she gets defensive.

"Ah, but you did, Panda." He closed his eyes tiredly, hoping she'll just drop the argument.

"Don't call me that, Pineapple!" She sat up straighter, her fingers twitching, threatening to flip the small wood table over.

"Okay, I'll let you in on a secret…" Shikamaru smirked. Tenten settled her hands on the table to lean in closer, so she could hear the vital information.

"I won because of this little thing called skills. Something you obviously don't have, amateur." He said with satisfaction. Tenten eyes flared dangerously with anger. She slammed her hands on the table, putting a crack into it.

"But I do have skills! I just lost because you cheated! Cheater, Cheater, pumpkin eater!" She taunted, sticking her tongue out at him and blowing raspberries. She huffed and puffed (and blew the house down.)

"…I'm allergic to pumpkins…" Shikamaru looked at her amusedly with a triumphant smirk upon his face.

"I'm allergic to your face!" She flipped him the birdie and narrowed her eyes.

"Now, now, Tennie-chan, that's not very lady-like, is it?" He petted her head mockingly.

"You can go suck it!" Tenten flipped the table over, sending it across the room and spilling the game pieces and tea all over the floor.

"That, I believe is your job." Shikamaru chuckled. Her face was red, from embarrassment or anger, he didn't know.

"SHIKAMARU!" She screeched like a banshee. This was why Saturdays at the Nara Compound were never quiet anymore.

She stood up menacingly and grabbed the shogi board off the floor. Tenten felt the weight of it and pondered her decision. She chucked it at his head with her 100% accuracy. It was no use dodging it, he concluded. He cringed from thinking about the bruise that was going to painfully end up on his forehead. Shikamaru managed to get one word out before the board smashed into him.

"Troublesome."

Some days he felt luckier than others.

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><p>Please review and tell me what you think :)<p>

Thanks!

-Neji'sGirl185


	2. Sai: Honest

**A/N:** Well here's the next chapter! I got the idea for this one while watching iCarly :) The one where Sam paints a meatball on Gibby. Ah, good times.

I'd like to thank** maddie4president, DarkAnonymous324, **and **pink hell **for reviewing :) Brownie points for you!

Enjoy!

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><p><strong><span>Best Buds<span>**

***-Sai-***

_Sai was an honest fellow. That was supposed to be a good quality wasn't it? Then why must every time he state something true, someone has to punch him? Even if it's a lie, he gets socked in the face. So he figured, might as well tell the truth and go down with a good conscience. He took pride in his honesty._

_Sai had seen her before, he recalled. She was on that weird team. The one team with the bowl-headed, green spandex-wearing duplicates and a long-haired blind guy. As he was passing by one time, he saw her do her infamous Rising Twin Dragons. He stared for awhile, then left and deemed her "psycho". _

_The first time he talked to her, it was completely random.__Sai was walking towards Ichiraku Ramen Shop, the street lights gave the village an eerie glow. He could smell the seasonings wafted in the air, and also Naruto's loud, impolite voice. As he neared, he noticed a set of buns on her head, as usual. He decided, out of the blue, that he was going to talk to her today._

_"Hello." He greeted her with a Sai smile and waited. _

_"Hi." After saying what needed to be said, Tenten turned back to her ramen and continued to eat it. Sai took a seat next to her and ordered his own ramen._

_"Why do you put your hair in buns? It makes you look like an ugly panda." The entire ramen shop became deathly quiet. The guests took a gander at Sai, to see if he had gone mentally insane. Then, they looked over at Tenten, to see how pissed she was. Then back at Sai, to reminisce the last memories of him. Simultaneously, they all fled the stand, some trampling over others and tripping, trying to avoid the wrath of the Weapons Mistress. Sai didn't seem to notice. She clenched her jaw tightly, restraining herself from turning him into a shish-kabob. After counting to ten, she replied._

_"It keeps the hair out of my eyes and prevents it from being cut when I'm wielding my weapons." Her hands were gripped firmly on her chopsticks._

_"But why two buns? Why not one single bun?" Sai pondered._

_"Two's a cool number. If you have a problem with that you can talk to my katana." She spoke monotonously, never once meeting his eyes. The ramen shop owner handed Sai his ramen and Sai took it willingly. It was ten minutes late that she decided to talk to him again; she had already finished her ramen._

_"Why do you dress like that? It makes you look like a girl." She focused all of her attention on him. He dropped his chopsticks in shock. No one had ever blatantly insulted him like that before. This girl had some nerve. _

_"It's just what I've always worn. Why did you ask me that?" He knew people thought that, but no one ever said anything. He never thought that anyone would. _

_"Well, you were being honest with me, so I figured I should be honest with you. It was just my honest curiosity." She smiled at him warmly._

_"You know, you're the first girl that I've talk to and held a civilized conversation with, without being punched." He smiled at her._

_"Golly gee! I feel so honored!" She laughed at her lame sarcasm, and for some strange reason, he found himself laughing, too._

_"Well I got to go meet up with Neji. See you around, Sai." She paid for her ramen and left._

_"Bye." Sai waved as she left. For the first time in his life, he smiled a true smile._

*..*..*..*..*..*

Sai stared at his painting with disgust. Pitiful. Something was missing. But what?

Of course! He dabbed his brush in a swirl of blue-greens and lightly speckled the canvas.

There. Muy perfecto.

It was a waterfall he once saw as a boy. It was the most breath-taking sight he had ever seen.

The door to his apartment opened and closed abruptly. He glanced out of the corner of his eyes and saw a flash of brown and white. Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, only to gaze into pools of amber. Geez Louise! How did she get there so fast? Oh right, she's on Team Gai, 'nough said.

"Hi." He spoke, recovering from his shock.

"Sup brah?" She plopped herself on his couch, making herself at home.

"Painting." He returned his attention back to the easel, to see what else was missing.

"Teach me how to paint." She said, focusing her attention on the magnificent painting.

It wasn't a request, he could tell. It was a demand. A demand that said, "Teach me how to paint or I'll rip your balls off." He sighed.

"Why?" Sai was gambling his body parts away, but he just couldn't resist annoying her.

"Because I tried to paint earlier, but it just looked like crap." She dug in her pockets in search of her painting. Tenten pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to him. Sai opened it and carefully inspected it.

"Well?" She questioned, anxious to hear his comment. She stood up and looked over his shoulders at her painting.

"What is it supposed to be? A meatball?" He inquired, his mouth quirked up in amusement.

"…It's a tree." She spoke with venom. She glared at him with a glare that she could only have picked up from her teammate. Sai bursted out in chuckles.

"Don't make fun of the tree!" She huffed and punched him in the shoulder.

"I-I'm...I'm not! I'm…mak-…making fun of..of you!" He tried to get his words out while laughing. Tears were swelling in his eyes and he was doubled over.

"Shut up!" She stomped her feet. "Just teach me."

"Okay, okay, I'll teach you, just to save the citizens of Konoha from gouging their eyes out." He wiped the wet stuff away from his eyes. If looks could kill, Sai would've been dead seven times over. After composing himself, he went to get extra supplies for her. He set them up perfectly and ordered her to sit.

"Imagine an object you could easily paint, for example, not a tree." She punched him in the arm first and then closed her eyes in concentration.

"Now, paint what you just imagined." She sat there, unmoving, just staring at the blank canvas. He stared at her for the longest time, trying to read her expression.

"What kind of teacher are you? You didn't give me any tips at all! You just told me to paint! I mean I could've told myself that! You're the worst teacher ever." She grumbled dejectedly.

"Oi! Calm your pants! I wasn't finished yet!" He placed his hands on his hips femininely.

"Yeah right!" She crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Fine, I wasn't. But now let's continue! Let's start with something even you couldn't mess up." Sai pondered for a while. Finally, the light bulb in his brain went off. "Paint a line."

"That's it?" She queried, her face etched with confusion.

"Yes, or is that too hard for you?" He mocked.

"Shut your face." She grumpily retorted. Tenten dipped her brush into the red paint and dragged it across the once white canvas.

"There." She smiled pompously. Sai examined it with precision.

"It's crooked." He finally stated, looking her square in the eye.

"You're crooked!" She defended, chucking down the brush and palette, leaving paint stains on his white carpet.

"A line is supposed to be straight, Tenten." Sai chuckled lightly while tousling her neat hair.

"No! Some lines are curved stupid! And you call yourself an artist!" She scowled at him.

"The exact definition of a line is a never-ending, STRAIGHT segment." He recalled from his math lessons.

"Smartass." She crossed her arms and looked at the more interesting wall.

"It's better than being a dumbass." Sai countered. Tenten pouted "Come here, Ten-chan. How about I hold your hand and help you paint? Would that make Ten-chan feel better?" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back in front of the easel.

"…possibly…" Picking up the paintbrush, Sai guided her hand. Lines crissed-crossed the once barren canvas. There were colored streaks and dots. After hours, they finally finished. It was a beautiful cherry blossom tree. Tenten smiled proudly at the finished product. She took a step back and admired it from a distance. She sighed peacefully.

"To be honest Sai," She placed her hands in a contemplative position and looked between the two paintings. "My painting makes your painting look like crap." She smiled innocently. He sighed with anger and frustration.

As shinobi, lies consumed their lives.

But, no matter what, with each other, they were always honest.

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><p>Review :)<p>

-Neji'sGirl185


	3. Kakashi: Proud

**A/N:** Here's the new chapter! I got inspiration from the song Forever Young by Alphaville. It's such an awesome song :)

I want to thank **DarkAnonymous324, xXWWXx, maddie4president,** and** imjuzakyd** for reviewing! You all scored more brownie points! :)

Enjoy!

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><p><strong><span>Best Buds<span>**

***-Kakashi Hatake-***

_Kakashi Hatake had always been a proud man. There were many reasons why. Perhaps it was because he achieved the rank of chunin at 6, or maybe because at 16 he was already an ANBU captain, or possibly for his dashing good looks. But no matter, he was arrogantly proud._

_It was a rainy day when he first talked to her, a day where no one should've been outside on. But he was. The water flooded the streets, making a small puddle look like an ocean. Kakashi was soaked to the bone and the wind wasn't any kinder. He sat there in the mud, which most likely would not come out of his uniform. He didn't care. Not one bit. He forgot how to feel a long time ago._

_Kakashi was kneeling in front of his teammates' graves. It took all the strength he had not to cry. Kakashi ran his calloused fingers over the engraved, black granite, the coolness of the rock chilling him even more on the inside. A small, dainty hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up to see a young girl, maybe 5, with brown hair in buns, and fiery amber eyes._

_"It's not your fault." She handed him an iris. It meant faith, wisdom, and valor. It was like she knew that he would be here and needed this. After giving him a warm, reassuring smile, Tenten continued on with her journey towards two gravestones under a cherry blossom tree. She placed a pink carnation on each grave. Kneeling down, she whispered prayers that were drowned out by the roaring wind._

_He didn't know how, but his feet led him to her and unceremoniously plopped down next to her._

_"I couldn't protect them." He closed his eyes, trying to block out the painful flashbacks, but it was useless. She pondered his statement for awhile, thinking of some comforting words to say without lying. In the world of 5 year olds, lying was the ultimate crime._

_"They wouldn't blame you, you know." She spoke gently, soft and melodious. He liked her voice. It was comforting._

_"How do you know?" He questioned with doubt. There was no way a 5 year old could be this smart._

_"I just know it, somewhere deep inside me, I know they wouldn't blame you. But other than gut instincts, I really don't know. But they'd have to understand. They should almost be glad. To leave this dreadful life and go to their paradise in the afterlife." She smiled warmly and he decided that he also liked her smile._

_"You believe in the afterlife?" Kakashi raised his eyebrows at her naiveness._

_"I have to. It makes death look less scary." For the first time in a long while, Kakashi found himself smiling._

_"That makes sense." He stared at the gravestones in front of him. "Are these your parents?" Her hands grip her knees for dear life._

_"Yes. They died in the Kyuubi attack." A tear slipped down her face. "Sandaime told me about them a long time ago. I've come here every day since then and seen you here just as often. I've always stood at the gates, too scared to continue. But today I saw how defeated you looked and I knew that I have to be brave, if not for me, then for you." She smiled weakly._

_"I'm sorry." He felt a constricting squeeze on his heart. She was so young and already had to face this cruel world alone._

_"It's okay. They died protecting the village. And one day, I'll be a great shinobi like them and make them proud." Her eyes were set in determination, challenging him to oppose._

_"I'm sure you will." He spoke kindly. His first compliments in months._

_"By the way, I'm Tenten!" She stuck out her right hand and offered a shake. He took it willingly. His hand was twice as big as hers and covered most of it, but her grip was firm and strong._

_"Kakashi." He gave her a rare smile._

_"Kakashi. That is such a cool name! Mine is so lame! Do you want to be my Nii-san?" She looked up at him with her big, innocent, doe eyes and he couldn't resist._

_"I'd be honored to." She jumped up and gave him a big bear hug._

_"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She said squeezing him harder. He didn't mind. He was just proud that he felt something again._

*..*..*..*..*..*

Kakashi woke up that morning feeling energized. It was his first day off in a long time and he intended to enjoy every Naruto-free moment of it. Rolling out of bed, he walked down his wooden stairs towards the kitchen. Through the kitchen doorway, he could see a lone figure sitting at the table.

"Yo." He spoke, striding to the fridge in search of food.

"Sup." Tenten sat at her spot at the table and continued to enjoy her Lucky Charms.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. Didn't she have sparring today?

"Nice to see you, too." She spoke with her mouth full.

"No, seriously, why are you here?" Kakashi scrutinized her.

"Your house has food." She stated blatantly, sputtering chunks of cereal all over the table. Kakashi cringed. She had better clean that mess up.

"And yours doesn't?" He asked as he grabbed himself a bowl and spoon.

"Not currently. I had the last pack of instant ramen yesterday for dinner." She smirked, as if that was an accomplishment worthy of praise.

"Why didn't you go shopping?" He sat down and poured milk and cereal into his bowl.

"Too lazy." She dug her spoon in and stuffed cereal and milk in her mouth.

"Why didn't you go to Neji's?" He drank her orange juice when she returned her focus back to her cereal.

"Because then I couldn't eat like this." She pointed to herself in a circular motion. "And I can't handle that many arrogant bastards this early in the morning." Despite himself, Kakashi started laughing and orange juice came squirting out of his nose and all over the table.

"Loser." She snorted. "Oi! You don't have your mask on!" She pointed a finger at his uncovered face.

"I just woke up." Kakashi looked at her boredly.

"You don't sleep with your mask on?" She poked his uncovered cheek.

"No. Who would?" He quirked his eyebrows at her while she was in her thinking pose.

"Touché." Tenten finally answered.

"What are you going to do today?" He asked with curiosity dripping out of his voice.

"Training." She said blandly.

"But you train everyday!" Kakashi pointed out.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Tenten bellowed at the top of her lungs.

"You should take the day off and hang out with me." He stated, missing quality time with his little sister.

"Che. I'm not that lazy. I have to get stronger!" She yelled, glaring at him.

"You sound just like Naruto. As if I didn't get enough of that already." He smirked.

"Nii-san, I have to get stronger. If I don't, how will I ever make you proud?" She pleaded, using her puppy eyes on him. It felt like someone squeezed the life out of his heart. Didn't she already know that he was proud of her? Kakashi let out a grunt of agreement.

"Thank you!" She jumped up and hugged him, placing a kiss on his cheek. Kakashi watched her pick up her gear by his couch and saunter out the door. That girl was going to work herself to death, he thought, sighing in disappointment. He death glared his cereal, blaming it for Tenten's departure. He stood up and dumped his cereal in the trash, not bothering to clean the dishes or the table. Kakashi went back up to his room to shower and change.

Ten minutes later, he was out the door, heading towards Team Gai's training field to spy on Tenten. Nearing, he concealed his chakra and sat in a tree, watching his little sister. Tenten was in the middle of the field in a crouched position, her fingers twitching. She leaped into the air.

"Dragon Surge!" Out of nowhere, she whipped out dozens of scrolls. Kakashi watched in awe as she flipped and twirled releasing wave after relentless wave of raining steel. He noticed the slight movement in her arms, the only clue that she was actually throwing something. The weapons darted everywhere, not leaving an inch of space unpunctured. The only reason why Kakashi wasn't dead yet was because of his Sharingan. Suddenly, she paused, letting out a strangled gasp, and then plummeted towards the hard ground. As she came crashing down, so did Kakashi's heart.

He wondered if he should go help her, but if he did, her pride would be forever wounded. One reason would be for not being able to detect him and the other would be for being helped up like a small, weak child. So, he just watched helplessly as she struggled to get up off of the ground. He had to cross his arms and legs to prevent his intervention. Kakashi's gaze focused on Tenten as she stood up with a lot of effort. She was favoring her left shoulder and for a moment Kakashi thought that she was going to stop and go to the hospital. But he should have known better.

She didn't move towards the direction of the hospital, but instead limped to the center of the field, pulling back her discarded weapons by chakra strings.

Smart girl, he thought.

Smart, stubborn girl.

He sighed as she crouched low again, ready to spring up. And she did. This time she got a little farther than the last time since she got to use her heavy artillery. But as soon as he thought Tenten wasn't going to fall, she did just that. Oh how badly Kakashi wanted to go down and help her, but he couldn't, and that made him angry. He was angry at her for being so stubborn. He was angry at gravity for pulling her back to the ground so harshly. But most of all, he was angry at himself because she was working so hard just to make him proud.

As she got back up again and floated into the sky, he couldn't help but to imagine her as an angel. An angel that floated around carelessly, not a single hazard would be able to touch her. But heaven can wait.

The sky, that's where he liked her, not down here on the ground, where she had to fight to survive. He didn't like it that she was a shinobi like him. He didn't like how she had to work twice as hard as everybody else, just because she was a girl. He didn't like the idea that any day, including today, could be her last. He knew too well that life is a short trip. He just wanted her safe. But no, Kakashi couldn't even get that.

Hour after hour, he watched her rise and then fall like an ocean wave. Each time she would last a little longer and each time he would hold his breath, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. Finally, after the sun had set long ago, she did it. She flew up into the sky and stayed there until all the weapons collided with a target, and then she floated down gracefully, just like he had always hoped. She stood and smiled with the brightest smile she could manage, the same smile that lit up his dark world years ago. As soon as the smile came, it left. She started to fall forward, eventually hitting the ground, but this time with the knowledge of success.

As soon as she was out, all the weapons disappeared back into her scrolls. And her scrolls disappeared as well, leaving the limp kunoichi in the middle of the damaged field. He jumped off the tree branch and strolled up to her.

Cradling her gently in his arms, he found a smile magically upon his face. After minutes of roof jumping, he was in her room, tucking her in her bed. He took a step back and allowed the smile to grow wider. She was so cute when she slept. He leaned down and kissed her forehead like he used to when she was younger. Kakashi then leaped out the window; the moonlight was his only guide home.

Kakashi would always proud of her, even if he never declares it boisterously like his eternal rival.

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><p>Review :)<p>

-Neji'sGirl185


	4. Gaara: Fearless

**A/N:** Hey guys, I'm not really sure about this one. I'm not sure if everything in this chapter flows well and I was thinking about putting it on hold for awhile, but then I was like "What the heck."

I've always like Gaara and Tenten together. Something about them just seems so perfect, so I apologize if it's sort of lovey-dovey-ish.

Many kudos to **DarkAnonymous324**, **maddie4president**, **ChrisChan-08**, and **imjuzakyd **for reviewing! You are my sunshine on a cloudy day :)

Enjoy :)

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><p><strong><span>Best Buds<span>**_  
><em>

***-Gaara-***

_ Gaara was the epitome of fearless. If one looked in a dictionary under the word "fearless", they would find a picture of Gaara scowling. Once, someone asked him what he was afraid of. Gaara replied with a "nothing" and a death glare at the questioner that had them squirming uncomfortably until Gaara thought the conversation was pointless and left. The very next day, that same questioner moved out of Suna._

_ Being fearless meant having no fears. He had followed that same concept his entire life. Don't get too close to anyone or anything. Attachments lead to fears. Abandon all relations. Don't show or feel anything. Emotions lead to fears. Abandon all sentiments._

_ On the road to becoming fearless, Gaara also became feared. He was feared because he was a killing machine, a killing machine with no conscience, the perfect killing machine. But now, he was the Kazekage. People now feared him because he was the strongest in the village, the best. Gaara didn't care though. He never did before, so why should he start now? But that a lie. Behind his macho façade, it was obvious that Gaara did care. Maybe not about everyone's opinion, but perhaps about a certain someone's opinion. Someone who was deadly with anything sharp and pointy. Yes, __**that**__ someone. _

_ The first time he talked to her, she gave him a life lesson. It was the annual Suna and Konoha Ball, a celebration for the anniversary of the treaty between the two villages. The hall was adequate enough. He'd prefer to celebrate somewhere less extravagant, but this was fine, too. It's not like you could fit hundreds of people into a small restaurant anyways. That would've been cramped and stuffy. Not as stuffy as his stupid tux though. He hated the ridiculous outfit, especially the bowtie. It made him feel like a freaking clown. Not only that, people kept trying to strike up a conversation with him. Couldn't they tell that he didn't want to talk to them? Also, he hated the fan girls in the corner of the place. They giggled whenever he turned towards them. Gaara detested giggling. But, most of all, he loathed the decorations. _

_ Somehow, someone let Lee and Naruto decorate. Streamers and lights were draped across the hall, flowers and balloons clustered the little room that wasn't unoccupied by guests. There wasn't anything in that hall that matched. It was too bright and too colorful, like a children's coloring book, and it aggravated him to no end. The intense colors made his head hurt. Gaara wondered if people would get mad at him for ripping down the decorations. Most likely. He decided to retreat to the balcony, where the only colors present were dark and easy on the eyes. _

_ Stepping on the concrete flooring of the balcony, he relished the breezed that soothed his migraine. Gaara realized he wasn't alone. In front of him stood a silhouette staring intently at the stars. Tenten turned around to gaze at him, a smile made its way across her face._

_ "Kazekage-sama." She bowed politely. He acknowledge her with a subtle nod. "Are the decorations killing your eyes too?" She asked, amusement clearly in her eyes._

_ "Hn." Yes! He strode up next to her, leaning casually against the railing as she chuckled softly._

_ "Well, you've got to give them some credit for attempting. At least be thankful that they weren't on the planning committee, otherwise, we'd only have ramen to eat and it would be mandatory to wear green spandex." She laughed while he shuddered at the thought._

_ "I find it hard to believe that two of the most powerful people I know cannot tell that green and orange do not go well together under any circumstances, and that a good theme does not include using all colors in the history of ever." He finished his little monologue and continued to stare at the more interesting sky. Tenten was having trouble keeping her snickers in. She tried to cover her mouth, but eventually failed and started to laugh uncontrollably._

_ As her laughter died down, the wind picked up, closing the balcony doors. Gaara found it difficult to see without the hall lights and figured Tenten must be feeling the same as well. Being the gentleman that he was, Gaara relied on instincts alone to guide him to the door. He grasped the handle and twisted it open, letting rays of light shine of the balcony. In his mind, Gaara was only worried about Tenten's safety, however, there was something different in her mind._

_ "Oh. My. Goodness! Gaara! Are you seriously afraid of the dark?" Tenten cracked up, unable to contain herself. He let out an annoyed grunt._

_ "I am not, I assure you." He bored holes into her, but she didn't notice. She must've become immune from her teammate._

_ "You don't have to deny it, Gaara. I won't tell, I promise!" She wiped the water away from her eyes._

_ "I am not nor have I ever been afraid of the dark." He spat out his sentence in annoyance, his headache slowly returning._

_ "It's okay, Gaara, it's just natural to have fears." He scoffed at her statement, a frown marred his features._

_ "No, that is most incorrect. I am fearless." He folded his arms in anger. Why couldn't she just believe him?_

_ "I never said you weren't." She met his gaze, not willing to back down. "Being fearless doesn't necessarily mean you don't have any fears, it means that you are brave enough to face your fears." Gaara stared at her confusedly. What was she trying to say? Tenten was obviously a psychic because she answered his silent question._

_ "I mean like striving for fearlessness is like striving for perfection. Both are practically impossible. We are just humans after all. And as humans, we all have our faults, our weaknesses. You can never really get rid of your fear, but you can try right? It takes more guts to face your fears than it takes to have no fears. And guts build character." The gears in his head began to function right. Gaara finally understood. Tenten had lifted the dark veil that was pinned on him long ago. It was okay to be scared because it was normal. _

_ Tenten grinned at him mischievously. "I promise I won't tell anyone about your secret!" Gaara groaned out loud, choosing not to respond. "But if it makes you feel better, I'm scared of disappointing others." She blushed, no longer look at him, but instead downwards._

_ "Really?" He asked, not fully believing her._

_ "Yeah, I'm terrified to let anyone down, so I train hard every day so that will never happen."Gaara's expression softened._

_ "Tenten, you could never let anyone down." He smiled at her gently and she reciprocated. They stood there in a comfortable silence until the ball ended and parted ways. Gaara was still confused about many aspects of his life. But instead of being completely in the dark, he now had a new light to follow. _

_ Gaara considered him as her friend and hoped Tenten did, too. His prayers were answered on his next birthday when he received a package from Tenten. Inside was a nightlight, engraved with the words, "Suna's 'fearless' leader."_

_*..*..*..*..*..*_

"Gaara! Let's go swimming!" Tenten bounced on her toes eagerly as she awaited his answer. Somehow, she had managed to pick the lock to his hotel room and entered it uninvited. Gaara sat stoically on his couch, attempting to continue his reading and ignore the sugar-high girl in front of him.

"Come on, Gaara! Please, please, please, please, please with whipped cream and a cherry on top!" She clasped her hands in front of her, her copper eyes looking intently into his jade ones. Gaara was reminded of the hyper squirrel that would not leave him alone on his journey to Konoha. He eventually got ticked off and threw and acorn at it, which made it leave. Apparently, squirrels have feelings, too.

"No." Gaara then resumed reading, placing the book strategically in front of his face to prevent him from seeing the disheartened brunette.

"Why not?" She frowned, mimicking his now irritated expression. Tenten placed her hands on her hips, jutting them slightly to the right.

"I don't want to drown yet. I still have to kill Kankuro for gluing my butt to my chair the other day." His eyebrows furrowed together in frustration.

"You've got to admit, that was a good one." She started chuckle, filling the once tense atmosphere with musical sounds. In a lightning fast move, Tenten snatched the book out of Gaara's hands.

"Come on! You don't want to sit in a oppressive room all day! It's so rare that you're in Konoha. You should enjoy it with your most favorite person in the world!" She smiled and tossed the book from hand to hand as Gaara rolled his eyes and growled.

"No." He replied, brainstorming tactics that will help him retrieve his book back.

"Yes!" Tenten taunted him by placing the book just barely out of reach. Gaara tried to seize it.

"No." And fell flat on his face.

"Yes! Or are you too scared?" She smirked at his now pissed-off expression. How dare she accuse him of such a preposterous idea!

"Hn." He crossed his arms and grunted his discontentment.

"But Gaara!" She pouted her lips out and subtlety batted her eyes. He declared that the puppy eyes would not work on him this time.

"No." He turned to face the adjacent window, resisting the urge to give in and go "aw."

"Fine! Don't go! See if I care!" Tenten chucked the book at Gaara harshly, knocking the wind out of him. "I guess a book is more important than me!" She walked out of the door solemnly with her head hung low. Once she disappeared out of sight, Gaara felt the anger inside of him melt away, only to be replaced with guilt. Crap.

He walked out of the room and looked down the halls, but she was nowhere to be found. Dashing down the hallways, he was searching for a familiar chakra signature, but came up empty handed.

Pushing the elevator button, he waited for 3.6 seconds before charging down the stairs, swearing to exterminate that wretched contraption later for being too slow. It was a shame to all transporting devices. As he reached the lobby, he cursed Temari for booking hotel rooms on the top floor. But now was not that time to think about killing Temari or the elevator. Gaara had to find Tenten.

Grunting, he sprinted outside, only to bump into Shino. The man looked at him composedly while readjusting his glasses.

"She's going towards the Hokage's Mountain, Kazekage-sama." Shino bowed and then turned around to leave. Gaara totally missed the knowing smirk on the young Aburame heir in his distressed state.

"Arigato." He rushed down the dirt pathways of Konoha, getting stopped unnecessarily by Konoha citizens. Gaara probably looked like a maniac, scaring shinobi and civilians alike, but he didn't care. The only thought on his mind was, "Find Tenten." Fearing for her safety, he didn't notice that he was already at the top of his mountain until he realized that if he took another step forward, he would plummet to his death.

If she had noticed him, which he would bet all of Kankuro's puppets on that she did, she didn't bother to acknowledge him. Gaara plopped down on the ground, sitting crossed legged next to Tenten.

"Hey." He sputtered out weakly. Staring at her for awhile, he waited for a reply. When he didn't get one, he cursed himself for being stupid. Sitting there, Gaara didn't know what exactly to say to her. His mind kept screaming at him to apologize, but his mouth couldn't work properly.

"It's a beautiful sunset." She stated at last, and he thanked the heavens that she actually talked to him.

"Sure." Gaara agreed half heartedly. Weren't all sunsets beautiful? What makes this one so much better?

"It's beautiful because it could be the last one we ever see." He was taken back. The last one? Are there not going to be anymore sunsets? Is the sun exploding? Wait, was she going to die? Panic surged through his body as he imagined life without her. His heart constricted tightly and he found he couldn't breathe. Inside, he felt cold and empty. Life without her? That would be like not even living to him.

"We're shinobi, today could very well be our last, so we should enjoy life as much as we can with the people that matter most." Tenten continued to focus on the sunset, never once meeting his eyes. So that's why she was so stubborn today.

"Are you going to die?" He whispered the words softly, fearing if he spoke them too loud, it would be true.

"No, I was just trying to treasure each moment of life." Gaara let out a sigh of relief. If she died, so would he.

"So you're afraid of death?" He pondered while being mesmerized by the vibrant reds and yellows.

"No, I can't say that I am." Gaara let the statement roll in his head. She wasn't afraid of death. But he was afraid of her death. That was his only fear, and he figured out that she was right. No one can be completely fearless, certainly not him. But he was willing to fight it, so he made a vow that day to protect her at all costs.

Some people say that Gaara is Superman. He is resilient, mysterious, and fearless. In his head, he denied it all, especially the last part.

Gaara was no Superman. He did not wear his underpants over his clothes nor was he cool enough to have a cape. But perhaps, if he was Superman, then Tenten would be his fearless kryptonite.

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><p>I don't know if there are even elevators in Naruto, but they have lights and medical equipment, so they should at least have an elevator :)<p>

I can't decide if I like this one or not. So please tell me your opinion.

Thanks!

-Neji'sGirl185


	5. Shino: Interesting

**A/N:** Hey guys, I really really don't know about this one. I don't know if Shino is included enough in this one. I just feel so unaccomplished. It took me awhile to finish this one. I just finished it this a moment ago. So please tell me if I should fix anything.

I don't know if there's KPOP or peanut butter in Konoha, there probably isn't, but there should be! They are both too awesome to not be in there :)

I'd like to thank **maddie4president**, **ChrisChan-08**, **DarkAnonymous324**, **Crestfallenfeline**, **Dreaming101**, and **i****mjuzaky****d **for reviewing! You guys are like the sprinkles on my ice cream :)

I would also like to thank **Red ChopSticks**, **ChrisChan-08**, **Crestfallenfeline**,** day .dreamer ****.specialist**, **Joejoe9m**, **Dreaming101**, **Reider**, **Big Paja**, **maddie4president**, **eat-sleep-swim-repeat**, and **10pandasrule10 **for adding this story to your favorites/alerts list! On a scale on 1 to 10, you guys would be a 12 :)

Please enjoy the chapter :)

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><p><strong><strong>**Best Buds**

***-Shino Aburame-***

_Shino Aburame was as interesting as interesting could get. He spoke few words, and even then his sentences were clustered with complex words that jumbled the mind. Naturally, people stopped talking to him to avoid the nasty headaches, not that Shino minded anyways. It was more intriguing to observe them all from a distance. The lower half of his face was obscured and made him unapproachable, but that was tolerable as well since he enjoyed his isolation. It gave him more time to think. There were dark glasses that shielded his eyes and were always on. Always. Only two people have ever seen his eyes. Three, if you counted his deceased mother. His parents saw them since he wasn't born with glasses, or so Kiba keeps trying to disprove. The other person was an accident._

_The first time he talked to her, he was distracted._

_The icy rain was merciless, pelting down on the village with all its might, leaving nothing in its wake dry. Murderous winds swept through, almost ripping the trees from the ground. Lightning lit up the sky, illustrating the grayness of the day. Sounds of thunder joined the stormy orchestra. Any sane person would not have been out on this day, but Shino had no choice. Strolling down the streets, trying not to get blown away, he was commanded by his father to fetch some peanut butter. He didn't know why his father wanted peanut butter or why he wanted it during this type of weather, but he wasn't a complainer. Shino bared the rain and struggled against the wind, which kept pushing him two steps back as he took one step forward._

_In the distance, he heard a peculiar noise, the sound of metal lodging into wood. Shino turned to the sound. Who in their right mind would train in a thunderstorm, especially with metal? A strange shinobi. It wasn't his problem if the unknown person got electrocuted; he had to find peanut butter._

_As he was turning away, he noticed a dash of color in the bleakness of gray. A simple yellow daisy stood amidst the dull scenery. Shino was pulled in by its subtle beauty. It was something so plain to the normal eye, yet it was completely unique to his. Trudging towards the flower, his nimble fingers reached out to finger the petals, savoring its softness. The thudding of metal drove him out of his thoughts. Right, peanut butter. He stood up to leave, but his body wouldn't move back towards the road. It continued to travel towards the noise. Forget it, let the fool die, he told himself, but his body wouldn't listen._

_Shino arrived at a training field, one that has obviously been used one too many times. The few trees that were there were dented, the ground was full of craters and holes, the grass, if you wanted to call the charred thing grass, was scarce and only random patches could be found here and there. There it was again, that sound. He looked left and right, but nothing was there, that only left the sky. Shifting his gaze to the sky, he witnessed a magnificent sight._

_Tenten was in the sky, hurdling weapons at targets, twirling and flipping her lithe body to acquire the desired angle to launch the weapons. He got lost in her movements, the way she so effortlessly shifted with grace. Too caught up, he didn't notice a weapon heading towards him until it smacked him square in the face._

_"Ack!" He fell back, connecting with the ground, his glasses shattering to pieces._

_Shino later concluded that he had passed out. One moment he was staring up at the unyielding clouds. Then a blink later, it was up at a familiar face._

_"Tenten?" Placing his hands on his face, he tried to soothe the throbbing._

_"Shino, goodness gracious! Are you alright?" Her eyes flaunting her worry, something that was uncommon at the Aburame Compound, where everything was lifeless and eyes were concealed behind shades. Oh crud, she could see his eyes. He had to get out of there!_

_"Yes. Thank you for your concern. I'll be taking my leave now." He spoke in a rushed manner, trying to ignore the scrutinizing gaze she gave him. Shino got up quickly, dusting himself off._

_"Shino, your glasses! I'm so sorry! I'll buy you a new pair." Tenten stared at the splintered pair of glasses._

_"That is unnecessary. Why? I will ask my father for a new pair." Shino turned his back on her and started to briskly walk away._

_"Shino, I'm really sorry though." She looked at him with guilt filled eyes._

_"Do not be, for it was my fault for not detecting the weapon in time. Do not be sorry for my mistake." He turned around to lock eyes with her._

_"Okay, but if it makes you feel better, you have beautiful eyes. They're interesting." A blush crept onto his cheek and he exited the field as fast as possible. Shino expected her to stand there and look at him dumbfounded, what he didn't expect was for the petite brunette to follow alongside him. He gave her a commanding glance, trying to dismiss her to go home._

_"At least let me walk you home, it will ease my conscience." She gave him a shy grin that warmed his chilly limbs. He found that he couldn't resist those eyes. The silent trek home was a comfortable one and he found that he actually liked having Tenten near him. She gave off a warm and friendly aura, which was ten times better than Kiba's dog breath._

_They reached the compound gates, and he reluctantly bid her farewell and scampered inside to find dry clothes and a new heat source._

_"Son, what happened to you?" Shibi walked into the foyer and glanced at his son's glasses-less state._

_"A projectile unintentionally came into contact with my face, during my lack of focus, destroying my glasses." Shino tried to reply stoically, but that was very hard to accomplish without his glasses._

_"I see. I shall order a servant to get you new ones." Shibi stroked his beard in contemplation._

_"Thank you, Father." Shino bowed and headed towards his room._

_"Ahh, son, where is my peanut butter?" His father stared at him with his hand outstretched, preparing to receive the jar._

_" …I forgot. I was distracted. Please forgive me Father." Dark pink fluttered across Shino's cheeks._

_"Son, what distracted you? It was clearly an easy task to complete." Shibi stared at the boy with disappointment. Now how was he supposed to enjoy his PB&J without the PB? Shino sunk lower into his coat._

_"An acquaintance was training with a unique technique." He tried to make the blush go away, but failed. It stubbornly stayed there._

_"Was it a girl?" Shibi was having too much fun making his son squirm. It's not like he could get Shino to blush like this every day. Plus, this was the perfect revenge for his lack of peanut butter._

_"…Yes." Shino made a quick bow and exit, trying to get away from his prying Father. In the hallway, he heard his father murmur to himself._

_"What an interesting girl." And Shino had to agree. Something about Tenten interested him as well. Maybe there was someone in this world that was more interesting than he was._

*..*..*..*..*..*

It was a nice day out, perfect almost. The sun was shining, providing warmth, but it wasn't blinding. The breeze fluttered the leaves around, but not hair, which was always a good thing. Tranquility filled the village. Too bad Tenten was too busy dying to notice.

She laid face down on the training grounds, her breathing ragged and haphazard. She just finished an eight hour training session with Lee and Gai-sensei. It consisted of hundreds laps around the village on both the hands and feet, frontwards and backwards, thousands of push-ups, and a vigorous spar against Lee and Gai-sensei.

Tenten was tempted to let Lee kick her hard in the face so she could be sent to the hospital and then the session would end. But Tenten refused to be a quitter. She persevered and now was on the brink of consciousness.

Shino entered Team Gai's training field in search of a certain brunette. Said brunette was lying limp by a tree. He strode quickly over to her, fear pulsing through his veins. Placing two fingers on her neck, he tried to find a pulse. There. Relief washed over him.

Cradling her gently in his arms, Shino carried her back to the Aburame Compound towards the medical wing, a smile tugging at his lips when he heard her snoring.

When Tenten woke up, it was nearly an hour later. Her surroundings were different. The last thing she remembered was lying on the green grass of her training field, but now she was surrounded by white.

"Am I dead?" She asked no one in particular. Sitting up, her loose hair fell down her shoulders in chocolate waves.

"No." Shino spoke from his position in the chair beside the bed.

"Crap. That means I still have to go to training tomorrow." She sighed exasperatedly. Shino smirked at her childish behavior. Tenten fingered her blanket, it was really soft. It was like being wrapped in fluffy clouds. Heh. Shikamaru would be so jealous.

"Are you feeling alright?" Shino asked with concern.

"Of course I am!" Tenten smiled energetically.

"Let us leave then." Standing up from his chair, Shino offered her a hand.

"Go where?" Tenten questioned, getting out of the bed and following Shino out the door.

"To meet my father." He led the way through the winding corridors. Tenten was amazed at how he could find his way around. But amazement was soon replaced with panic.

"What! I can't go meet him like this!" She pointed to herself. "I'm covered with blood and dirt!" He examined her.

"So it seems you do. But you shouldn't worry. Why? My father does not heed about outward appearances, but only cares about what is inwards." They reached grand double doors and Tenten figured on the other side was his father's office. Shino pushed open the doors with a creak and entered in stealthily. Tenten scampered after him.

"Good evening, Father." Shino bowed out of respect.

"Aburame-sama." Tenten bowed because she didn't want to look stupid. He took a seat and presented a seat next to him for Tenten to sit in. After sitting down, she gazed between the two and felt the awkwardness of the situation. She was the only one without shades. Great.

"Son, please introduce your guest." Shibi focused on the young woman.

"Of course Father. This is Tenten, one of my close friends." Tenten felt highly uncomfortable. She couldn't tell who was looking at her and felt she was at a disadvantage.

"I see. Tenten, you are a shinobi correct?" Tenten nodded her head, not knowing what else to say.

"I am on Team Gai and specialize in weapons." She saw from Shibi nod approvingly. Inside her head, she was doing a victory dance. A dang good one.

"How long have you known my son?" Shibi questioned, but Tenten really didn't know if he was actually looking at her.

"I think probably a couple years." Tenten had to look over at Shino to make sure.

"Six years." Shino said, making Tenten look like an idiot. She almost convinced herself to stab him with a fountain pen, but then that would make a bad impression. So she settled for a nervous smile which hurt her face.

"Ah. Tell me Tenten, what activities do you enjoy partaking in when you are not training?" It took her a couple moments to decipher what exactly what he meant.

"Um, when I'm not training, which rarely happens, I like to spend time with my friends. I don't get to see them much so I try to squeeze in time whenever I can." She replied with a smile and snuck a glance at Shino, who looked like he was spacing off. She wouldn't blame him since she would've done the same thing if only she wasn't being grilled. "Also, I like to listen to music, it's very relaxing." Shibi stared at her coolly.

"Interesting. What type of music do you listen to?" The girl was definitely something. She was nothing like Shino's stuttering teammate, or that loud Yamanaka, or even the love-sick Haruno. She was normal.

"Well my favorite is KPOP." She smiled sheepishly, as if that was her biggest secret.

"What is KPOP?" Her eyes widened, her mouth hung open in shock. Blinking a couple times, Tenten regained her composure.

"It's like only the best thing ever." Tenten spoke with extreme seriousness which made Shino have to resist the urge to snicker. "It's Korean Pop and the music and lyrics are phenomenal." Shibi raised his eyebrows.

"You know Korean?" Maybe this girl wasn't so normal after all.

"Yes, because I wanted to know what the songs were about." Shibi regarded her with newfound respect while Shino couldn't keep the smirk off his face. "One of the best bands ever is SHINee. You should listen to one of their songs, Aburame-sama. It's totally awesome. It's also a plus that they're all really cute, especially Key." She gave him an encouraging smile and Shibi felt compelled to fulfill her request. He nodded and Tenten practically squealed from delight.

"There's also many other good bands like Girl's Generation and Super Junior." Tenten's eyes practically twinkled.

"One of my nieces talk about a band called SNSD. Is that a good band as well?" Shibi asked, his mind now opened to the world of KPOP.

"Yes! SNSD is another name for Girl's Generation." Shino sighed, not only was he going to have to listen about KPOP from his best friend, but now from his father as well.

"I see." Shibi scratched his chin in thought. Shibi and Tenten conversed for hours, making Shino almost tempted bang his head from the annoying-ness of it all.

"It is getting late, Shino please escort your friend home. I hope to see you again soon, Tenten; then we could discuss some more about KPOP." Tenten and Shino got up and bowed, exiting the office, but not before Shibi pulled Shino over to whisper something in his ear. Shino nodded reluctantly and left with Tenten through the mind-puzzling hallways.

It was pouring rain outside while the wind howled fiercely. Shino cursed his luck. They sprinted towards Tenten's apartment, reaching it in a record time of three minutes flat.

"Dude, next time I go over there, you better get me some cool sunglasses." She smiled at him and he couldn't say no. After Tenten said goodnight and closed her door, Shino rushed towards the nearest music store in search of KPOP CD's for his father.

No matter how interesting he was, Shino would always consider Tenten's ability to persuade his father into becoming a KPOP addict even more interesting.

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><p>Please review :)<p>

I love SHINee :) They should be arrested for being too cool.

-Neji'sGirl185


	6. Naruto: Mischievous

A/N: I apologize sincerely for the extreme lateness of this chapter. I broke my wrist in December and I just got my cast off last week. I was only half efficient and couldn't make enough time for writing. I'm really sorry that you guys had to wait months for this.

I would like to thank anyone who is still reading this story :) But a more special thanks goes out to all those who reviewed the last chapter: **maddie4president, DarkAnonymo****us324, Dreaming101, Crestfallenfeline, OasisSerenity, ****xBitterSweetDreamsx, imjuzakyd, **and **FruitySmell. **You were my motivation :)

I hope this will ease your anger. I made this chapter longer, about twice the normal length. I hope you all like it.

Enjoy :)

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><p><strong>Best Buds<strong>

***-Naruto Uzumaki-***

_Naruto Uzumaki was recognizable by almost everyone. His admirable fighting skills quaked the old and the young. On his face was the ever present smile that could brighten up a thousand gloomy days. He was a hardworking, outstanding, young lad that people came to respect. But, a smidge of that respect was lost due to Naruto's more devious side. Naruto was one of Konoha's most troublesome pranksters. If you walked out your door and water was dumped onto you, it was because of Naruto. If your butt got glued to your chair, it was Naruto. If you house was raided and the only thing left was a green spandex suit, then it was probably Gai or Lee. __**But, **__if it was an orange suit, then it was Naruto. Many people have often wondered where on Earth Naruto got his mischievousness from. The answer is plain and simple. Tenten. _

_ It was only twelve springs ago that their pranking streak first began. It was a warm spring day that completely contrasted to the harsh winter weather just weeks ago. The sunlight shimmered down to a young boy's face, highlighting his striking blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes. Everyone in the orphanage was outside, enjoying the caresses of the sun. It was the perfect weather for a beautiful season. And from that moment, Naruto decided he hated spring with a fiery passion. First off, it was extremely girly. There was this unnatural obsession that people had with flowers. Those little safety hazards attracted bees with their stupid scent. Naruto hated bees. Not to mention, those petite packages of evil make him sneeze uncontrollably. How dare they raise the pollen count!_

_Naruto detested the season, not just because of the flowers, but because in the spring, the kind lady who took care of him went away to visit her family somewhere far away. That meant her assistant had to take responsibility to care for him. The assistant was a mean old lady, one that smelt like rotten apples and looked no better. Sometimes, she would accidentally trip him so he would fall flat on his face. Other times she didn't feed him. It was her way to punish Naruto for something he did that he didn't even know about. But whatever he did, it must've been pretty bad for her to treat him so cruelly. Naruto never complained because as an orphan, there was not much to complain about. He was already lucky enough that he was allowed to live in the orphanage instead of on the streets._

_It was a little past noon and his stomach growled harshly. This was one of his many punishment days. The pain was close to unbearable. Naruto clutched his stomach, hoping to ease the pain, but it was futile. He tried lying on the ground, but it didn't solve anything. Naruto closed his eyes. Maybe the dark would be able to consume him and put him out of his misery. He didn't know how long he closed his eyes, but one moment, there was the sunlight and the next, there wasn't. As he swerved his head around, Naruto concluded that it wasn't night at all. But the darkness was actually looming shadows._

_There was a group of older boys crowding around him. A look of fear and panic crossed his face and Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat. Scratching the back of his neck, he stood up quickly._

"_Hey guys, can you please do me a favor and not beat me up today?" He threw up his arms in surrender. "I'm already starving so you could say that your mission has already been accomplished! Isn't that great?" Naruto gave them a nervous grin while searching for an escape route. There wasn't any. _

"_Let's get him, boys." The leader sneered and started inflicting a barrage of attacks on him. The others joined in and in a matter of seconds, Naruto was on the ground, trying to hold onto consciousness. He could no longer tell where or whom the attacks were coming from. It didn't matter anyways. He deserved the pain. At least that's what other people have been telling him all his life._

"_Hey you dweebs! Stop it! You're going to kill him!" A distant voice screamed. He swore he heard that voice before, but on the brink of alertness, he couldn't pinpoint exactly who. His assaulters were then yanked off and he heard the exchange of blows and bones cracking. The bushes ruffled, signaling the end of the rumble, and then it was quiet. Naruto then finally succumbed to the inviting darkness._

"_Kid!" Tenten shook the shoulders of the boy. "Hey kid! Wake up!" Adding more force, she shook again. Nothing. "Oi! Don't die on me okay? I'm not good with that kind of stuff! Wake up, dang it! Wake up!" She was sure if she kept this up, she would definitely inflict some serious trauma on his head._

_Naruto groggily opened his eyes and the sun took pleasure in blinding him with its brightness. He was sore in a lot of places and his head hurt. When his vision cleared, he noticed a dual-bunned brunette with amber eyes to match. Ah, she must've been that voice from earlier who took care of those "dweebs". Speaking of the dweebs, about half of them were sprawled out across the yard, and Naruto guessed that the other half must have ran away. Those injuries on them looked like they hurt. A lot. Karma really was a pain in the butt. The girl was looking at him intently, assessing his injuries. He remembered her now. She was that one girl, the one that like weapons. What was her name again? Five-Five? No, that couldn't be right, could it? Oh, of course! Tenten! That was her name! Naruto smacked his head, which amused Tenten._

"_Hey kid, you shouldn't be smacking your head like that. It could give you a really bad concussion." She smirked at him, while he scowled._

"_Hey! Don't call me a kid! My name is Naruto Uzumaki! And besides, you're barely older than me!" He glared at her defiantly and stood up to brush his pants, only to fall back down due to the excruciating growling of his stomach._

"_Are you alright?" Tenten rushed over to his side and leaned him against a nearby tree, worry was etched onto her face._

"_Yeah, no big deal, I'm fine." It was at this exact moment that his stomach decided to roar. Loudly. _

"_Oh yeah, I totally believe you. By the way, your pants are on fire, you little liar." Staring at him accusingly, Naruto couldn't help but to laugh. She was just too funny with her serious expression. It's been awhile since he has genuinely laughed like that. "Let's go." Tenten stood up and waited for him. Naruto just stared at her confusedly. _

"_Go where? There's nowhere to go." He stared head on into her you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me gaze. Naruto stood up and moved towards her side, awaiting the answer._

"_To lunch, obviously. It's lunchtime, which is usually the normal time for the eating of the lunch, and I'm hungry and I can tell that you are too, so let's go." Tenten fiercely grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the yard. _

"_Oi! Let me go! Let me go! I can't eat!" He argued profusely, shaking his head violently, wriggling out of her grip._

"_Why not? Are you trying to keep your figure or something?" She turned him so that they were now facing each other. Naruto cringed at her outward signs of anger. Her elegant eyebrows were knit together, her dainty mouth in a dangerous scowl, and glaring honey eyes were blazed._

"_I told you I can't!" Naruto let the anger wash over him, he gripped her shoulders just as hard as she gripped his and shoved her. But just as soon as the anger came, it left, only to be replaced with a more somber emotion. Hopelessness. _

_In a quiet voice, barely above a whisper he spoke, "They won't let me." Tenten stood with her body frozen, shell-shocked. The once menacing eyes were now wide, like a deer caught in headlights._

"_W-w-what?" Disbelief was the only thing Naruto could see on her face._

"_The lady who takes care of me says it's my punishment." Naruto looked away; he didn't want to look in her eyes._

"_For what?" Tenten wanted to go beat the snot out of that lady. Who gave her the right to deliver punishments?_

"_I don't know. She won't tell me." Naruto found he couldn't look her in the eyes. He was afraid to see the hatred in her eyes as well._

"_What horrible guidance! Punishments are used to make sure you don't do bad things! If you did something wrong, she should tell you so that you can fix it! If she doesn't tell you, then she doesn't have the right to punish you!" She was very tempted to go tell her Nii-san about this, but then he would get worried and he already had enough trouble on his hands. She couldn't go bother him now. "Come on, if they won't let you eat here, then we'll go out and eat!" Tenten mentally patted herself on the back for coming up with the brilliant plan. She snatched his arm and dragged him out from the orphanage and onto the main roads of Konoha._

"_Where are we going?" Naruto pondered out loud, letting the stubborn girl drag him away._

"_To this awesome ramen shop I know. They make the best ramen!" Her eyes beamed with delight, oblivious to the stares and death glares of her fellow villagers._

"_But I don't have any money!" Naruto whined persistently while flailing his arms about and stomping his feet._

"_I'll pay for it! Sheesh!" Tenten threw her arms up in mock defeat. "Anyways, we're here!" She smiled ecstatically, radiating with joy and happiness. "I come here all the time! It's the best!" _

_The shop was modest looking. It wasn't small, nor was it big. The building was wooden with a counter and six stools. Behind the counter, there was the cooking equipment. There were paper decorations hanging up that said, "Ichiraku's Ramen Shop." The smell of delicious food lingered in the air. Naruto's mouth was watering. There were only two stools left available. Tenten took one and Naruto was about to take the other when a long-haired, pale-eyed freak came in and stole it._

"_Hey! I was about to sit there jerk face!" Naruto complained, anger shown in his eyes. He balled his hands up in fists._

"_My name is Neji Hyuga, not jerk face. Because I am a Hyuga, I am far more superior than you are. That makes me more deserving of this stool. A commoner, such as yourself, must stand and wait patiently for me to finish my meal." He glared at Naruto with burning intensity. A scowl situated itself on his face._

"_Oi Neji! Get over yourself, Princess! He was here first! Don't you Hyugas know anything about manners?" Tenten provoked him and Naruto snickered at the insult. A vein popped out on Neji's forehead._

"_Manners shouldn't be wasted on trash like you." Neji gave her a dirty look, one that was supposed to chill her to the bone. But Tenten being Tenten, refused to back down._

"_You want to come at me bro? Come at me! I dare you! Come at me, bro!" She shrieked and lowered herself into a fighting stance with her hands raised in front of her face. Neji just scoffed at her with indifference._

"_As if you could take me on, Buns. Your skills are no match for mine. I have Hyuga blood running through these veins. Give up while you still have some scraps of dignity left." With that, he turned around and focused on consuming his ramen._

"_Why I outta-!" She started rolling up her sleeves and put on her nastiest glare. Tenten was utterly surprised when Naruto grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the establishment._

"_Oi Tenten! Calm down! Calm down! Get a grip of yourself, woman!" He pulled her towards the side of the street. Tenten desperately tried to break out of his hold. Odd stares were given to the two._

_He let go of her when she stopped struggling. Crossing her arms and turning towards the opposite direction, Tenten sneered. "Che! I am calm! I am the epitome of calm! Calm has to become me! Che!" She paced back and forth, fuming with anger. She was not calm._

"_Sure…" Naruto scratched his neck. Suddenly, his stomach grumbled again._

_Tenten looked at him with sad eyes. Because of her temper, they weren't able to eat yet. She said casually. "Why don't you go in there and eat? There's only one stool left and I don't think I can handle sitting next to that fool. I'll give you some money. I'm going to go get a few things and come back for you okay?" She looked him straight in the eye while pulling out money from her pocket._

"_Are you sure?" A nod was his answer. He stretched out his hand, grasping the wrinkled bills. Hesitantly, he pocketed the money. "Thanks, Ten-chan."_

"_Oh and don't let that brat intimidate you. If he says something rude, sock him in the face!" With that, she walked away, not before throwing a nonchalant wave over her shoulder. Naruto sighed. What a weird girl._

_He sat down on the stool and casually ordered his ramen and ate. It was the best ramen he had ever had in his life! The noodles were so soft and the broth was so flavorful! It was like heaven in his mouth. He was certainly going to come back here._

_That Neji kid left some time ago. He was such a pain in the butt. Neji never stopped complaining about how "inadequate" the ramen here was compared to the Hyuga's food. He thought that everybody was beneath him, especially Naruto. Che. One day, he'll prove to that Neji kid that he's better than him._

_Leaning against the wall with a laid-back posture, he waited for Tenten. In the distance, he could see Tenten approaching him. She had that devious smirk on her face, one that only meant trouble._

"_Where did you go Ten-chan?" Curiosity was dripping out of his voice. "I thought you said you were going to buy something."_

"_I did. I bought some pink dye." Was it him, or did her smirk get wider_

"_Pink dye? What will you use that for? And where is it?" He scratched his head._

"_Just wait and follow me." She started leading him to a new part of the village, a part that he never even heard of. There were lots of people dressed in fancy kimonos that gave them both disgusted stares. "This is the part where the rich snobs live. Don't pay attention to them okay?" She grinned comfortingly. They stopped in front of the giant gates. "This is the Hyuga Compound." Tenten tugged on his arm and led him towards the eastern side along a path secluded by trees._

"_What are we doing here, Ten-chan?" He gazed at her skeptically. _

"_We are going to put Neji back in his place. Heh! That will teach him not to mess with us." She pumped her fist up and started climbing up the old tree. She perched herself on the 8__th__ branch._

"_What did you do to him?" Naruto followed her up and nestled on the 6__th__ branch._

"_Oh nothing really. I just snuck into his room and poured pink dye in his shampoo." She shrugged uninterestedly._

"_You did what? You can't just break into someone's house! Isn't that illegal or something?" Naruto rotated his head 360 degrees, looking for the guards to take them away._

"_I just told what I did, didn't I? People break into other people's houses all the time so it's not technically illegal, so don't get your knickers in a knot!" Naruto just sighed exasperatedly. Pointing her finger to a window, she spoke, "That room over there is Neji's. Now watch carefully." Squinting their eyes, they noticed Neji stepping out of his bathroom, drying his hair. His __**pink**__ hair. It was the most horrendous shade of pink, a mixture between hot pink with lighter shades of pink that looked like highlights. They both struggle to bottle their laughter. It was proving to be an impossible task._

_Neji turned to the mirror and let out an ear-shattering shriek. He ran his fingers through his hair in alarm. Rushing out of his room, he was barking orders at the maid with his face red from fury. It was unquestionably the most amusing moment in their lives._

_Naruto and Tenten started giggling uncontrollable, causing them to fall out of the tree. It was a day that none of them would ever forget. Especially Neji. Starting from that day, their mischievousness only skyrocketed. _

*..*..*..*..*..*

She was late. Eighteen minutes late, to be precise. Tenten was never late. Never. Her punctuality came from Neji's influence on her. She was always early. Ridiculously early. But today, she was late.

Naruto paced back and forth in front of the ramen shop with his hands clasped behind his back. Every so often his would thread his fingers through his hair, a sign of nervousness. Maybe she was angry at him for stealing her panda plushie. He refused to give it back to her even though she was leaving on a mission. Crap. That was really stupid of him.

Tenten was sent on a mission to Suna a week ago. For what, he didn't know. It wasn't his business. But, she was supposed to be back today. Or at least, that's what Kakashi-sensei said. She promised him that when she got back, she would go eat ramen with him like she always does. And Tenten always keeps her promises.

Half an hour passed and Tenten still didn't show up. Where on Earth was she? Naruto sat down in front of the shop. He definitely was getting peculiar looks, but he was used to it by now. Apprehension seeped under his skin as he let dirt collect on his pants. Naruto started to pass time by drawing pictures in the dirt with his finger. His current masterpiece consisted of a panda that had sharp teeth, furrowed eyebrows, and many kunais in each hand. Grinning like a maniac, Naruto began to admire his drawing, when suddenly, out of nowhere, someone stepped on his drawing, smudging the lines and destroying the picture.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Naruto whisked his head up only to meet the grief-filled stare of his sensei. The usual bored expression was no longer present. Grimness took its place. "Where's Tenten?" Concern surged through him. She would be the only cause of Kakashi's grave appearance.

"At the hospital. I think you should go see her, Naruto." With that he turned on his heels and walked away, not even sparing the young, perplexed man a glance.

"W-what?" Naruto asked no one in particular. He sat there dumbfounded, unable to move a single limb. His only thought was to get to Tenten.

He flashed stepped quickly over the rooftops, adrenaline pumping through his veins. This was not good. Not good at all. The thought of Tenten being battered crossed his mind. He couldn't help but to stop for a second and shudder. Forcefully pushing that thought out of his head, he resumed his flash step.

Two minutes later, the hospital was in view. His heart started pumping wildly, unyielding to his logic. What if she was brutally traumatized? What if she would be in a coma forever? What if she died? No. He refused to think such things. He was Naruto Uzumaki for goodness sakes! Optimism was his secret weapon. Tenten would not die. She can't. He won't let her.

Naruto crashed through the main hospital doors and shouted for her, startling all of the people inside it. But apologies can wait till later. He had to see Tenten. Craning his neck left and right, he searched for traces of Tenten, but all he managed to see was a pink blob coming towards him. An angry pink blob.

"Naruto, you idiot! This is a hospital! People here need silence and peace so they can rest and heal properly! You can't just barge in and make all this ruckus! That is highly unprofessional!" Steam was coming out of Sakura's ears and her face would put tomatoes to shame.

Kakashi leaned nonchalantly against one of the nearby walls while crossing his arms over his chest. "But yet, here you are, a medic working in the confines of this hospital, making more noise than Naruto. What do you have to say about that?" Kakashi smirked, but no one could tell since his mask obscured the view.

"Why you-!" She gathered chakra into her hand and was about to deliver the blow when Kakashi interjected.

"Now, now, Sakura-chan, isn't it your job to heal people, not hurt them?" He petted her head in a childish manner.

"Can you take me to see Tenten please?" Being impatient, Naruto really didn't give a crap about the policies of the hospital or the infuriating argument between teacher and pupil.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I don't think that's a very wise decision to go see her right now. She's critically injured and needs all the rest she can get." She said seriously with her head hung low.

"I want to see her. She's my best friend. I deserve to see her!" He declared loudly, scaring Sakura with the amount of passion in his voice.

"Like I said Naruto I don't think-" Before she could finish, Kakashi interrupted her once again.

"Just let him see her. He's not going to leave until you do." Kakashi shrugged and pushed himself off of the wall and sauntered down a hallway. Naruto quickly followed with Sakura beside him. She kept shooting him worried glances, but he ignored them all. There were more pressing matters than Sakura's uneasiness.

Stepping inside the elevator, Naruto couldn't suppress his anxiety. Critical she said? How bad could it be? Tenten was one of the best kunoichi he knew. She wouldn't have gotten injured this badly could she? Perhaps he should've gone on the mission with her. That way he could ensure her safety at all times. Guilt was washed over him like a cold shower. Unwanted and unpleasant.

The elevator dinged at the 5th floor and Naruto couldn't stop shaking. He couldn't handle this. It was too much. He couldn't lose another person. No. He had to turn back. Get as far away from this place as possible. It was too late. They were already in front of the door. 518. That was her room.

Cracking the door ajar, he stealthily stepped inside the room. Once see Tenten, Naruto swore he couldn't breathe anymore. It felt like someone was clutching onto his neck and wouldn't let go. If it was possible, his heart must've shattered and crumpled to ashes.

There laid his best friend, lying motionless with her eyes closed on the bed. Cuts and bruises adorned her body. Bandages seeping red were crissed-crossed on her, making her look somewhat like a mummy. Casts were placed on various limbs. She was hooked up to dozens of machines. Oh god. What happened? **What the hell happened?**

Spying a chair next to her bed, he strode over and collapsed into it. Good thing that was there, Naruto couldn't have stood for another second. Gently grasping her delicate, scarred hands in his own scarred, rough hands, he gasped at the coldness of it. Tears prickled at his eyes, but he dared not to wipe them away.

"Tenten," he croaked in a raspy voice, "Oh god. Tenten. This can't be happening. This isn't real. This is just a nightmare. It's just a nightmare. Only a nightmare." Naruto repeated the mantra in his head. But, no matter how many times he pinched himself, he didn't wake up, which only meant that this was indeed real.

"You can't leave, Ten. You can't. I need you. Neji needs you. Kakashi-sensei needs you. Don't go. Please. Don't go." Water cascaded down his face, leaving wet trails of salty liquid. He choked back a sob.

"I don't know what to do without you. I don't want to be left alone." Clutching the hand close to his chest, Naruto whispered in a soft, broken tone.

"You promised me, Ten. You promised me that we'd grow old together and be the coolest old people in Konoha. We were going to prank all the youngsters and chuck our dentures at Neji." Naruto let out a bitter laugh, one full of despair. He lifted his hand up and caressed her cheek tentatively, afraid that she would break.

"You promised and you never go back on your promises, Ten." He looked at her, expecting her to open her eyes. But she didn't. Naruto sighed with disappointment. "Please Tenten, wake up. Please, wake up. I'll give you back your panda plushie! If that's what it'll take! I'll buy you all the weapons you want! Just wake up. Wake up!" Still no answer. She remained there, unmoving. More tears marred his features. There was silence.

Silence doesn't last long though. The heart monitor made a dull sound, a flat line appeared. Naruto stared at it with wide eyes. No. NO! He hurdled out of the chair and onto the bed. Naruto broke out in hysterics.

"No! Ten-chan! Don't leave! Don't leave me! Come back! Come back! COME BACK!" He made a heart wrenching noise in the back of his throat and collapsed to the ground, burying his face into his hands.

"No, no, no, no, no! It isn't true! This can't be! No, no, no, Ten-chan. Ten-chan!" Sobs wracked his body and he couldn't help it. Sakura and Kakashi watched from the doorway, their hearts breaking for Naruto. They knew this was going to be a bad idea.

"Oi. Any weapons I want?" Tenten quirked as she sat up and crossed her arms behind her head as she leaned back, a victorious smirk stretched across her face. Naruto stared at her with incredulity.

"W-wait, what? What's going on here?" Naruto spun his head around, only to see Sakura was snickering while Kakashi was trying to hide the large audience behind him.

"I got you good, didn't I?" A full fledge smile broke out on her face while Naruto continued to stare at her confusedly.

" Consider this payback for stealing my panda plushie. We are now even." She smiled at him and started unhooking the unnecessary wires from herself. Understanding finally dawned on Naruto. It was all a prank.

"What the heck Ten-chan! I was panicked and everything! I even gave you a stupid emotional speech! You are so mean Ten-chan!" He crossed his arms immaturely and pouted.

"Well, I never said I was nice." She countered effortlessly. Naruto stuck out his tongue at her. She undid the bandages and wiped off the paint and fake blood. "Plus, it's your fault for being so gullible." Standing up, she grabbed his arm and yanked him up, leading him out of the room. Stopping in front of Sakura and Kakashi, she bowed deeply.

"Thank you so much for helping me Kakashi-nii, Sakura." She pecked her brother on his cheek and gave Sakura a hug. Departing with Naruto still hanging on her arm, she yelled down the hall, "Hope you guys enjoyed the show!" She waved charismatically at them while Naruto slumped with aggravation.

"Where are we going Ten-chan?" He asked, being pulled out of his stupor.

"First, we're going to Ichiraku's because I'm really starving. You know, it takes a lot of energy to pretend to be dead." That got her an elbow in the side from Naruto. "And then, we're going to the weapons shop!" She practically squealed at the end of the sentence, bright stars appeared in her chocolate eyes. "They just received a new shipment of katanas!"

"Why are we going to the weapons shop?" Naruto didn't need more weapons and Tenten definitely didn't need more. "You've already got like eight katanas."

"You promised to buy me new weapons, remember? And plus, you can never have enough katanas." She tightened her grip on his arm. He sighed loudly, nodding his head.

"But you tricked me!" He grumbled, while Tenten just laughed, wiping the tears away from the corners of her eyes.

"Tricked? More like persuaded in a less than praiseworthy way." She smiled at him authentically. "But you should've seen your face!"

"Che. You are such a bully." Naruto just shook his head and slung an arm around her shoulders.

Mischievousness was his specialty, but the truth was, in that category, he couldn't even compare to Tenten.

* * *

><p>Reviews would be lovely :)<p>

-Neji'sGirl185


	7. Lee: Unusual

A/N: Hey, here's another chapter :) This chapter was inspired by the song What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction. Have you heard it? It's so amazing :)

I want to thank these people for reviewing: **OasisSerenity**, **Dark****Anonymous324**, **xBitterSweetDreamsx**, and **pink hell**! If you were entered in an awesome contest, you would win hands down :D

Hope you all enjoy :)

* * *

><p><strong><span>Best Buds<span>  
><strong>

***-Rock Lee-***

_Rock Lee was anything but ordinary. Everything from his looks to his personality was unusual and unexpected. His spandex suit screamed out youthfulness while his leg warmers represented his oddity. The shiny bowl headed hair style was a tribute to his youthful and brilliant sensei, as much of his outfit was. Lee was a hard worker that would do anything and everything it would take to reach his fanatical goals. Because of this quality, he finally held a decent conversation with his teammate for the first time._

_The wind whipped at his clothes, almost ripping it to shreds. The clouds were dark and ominous. Streaks of lightning lit up the blackened sky while thunder cackled in the distance. A storm was brewing. Any person with a shred of saneness had already retreated to their warm, cozy homes in hopes to escape the treachery of the fearsome thunderstorm. But not Lee. _

_He was already far from sane. With emulating apparel and a dogged personality, sane wasn't even a word he knew. But it didn't matter. Saneness was for chumps who didn't have anything better to do. Lee was, in fact, a very busy person. He was a very, very busy person that had many tasks to complete before he decided to become sane. _

_For instance, he had not been able to create a connection with either of his new teammates yet. One was a condescending ice cube that could never shut up about fate. And the other was somewhat friendly, if you could get past her irrevocable infatuation with sharp, pointy objects. Surprisingly, they were the best in the class. The ice cube was a noble so being a ninja was like breathing to him. The girl, although not a noble, had some unique skills that required meticulous precision. He, on the other hand, had no skills whatsoever. He was just Rock Lee, the kid who couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu. So, he focused on taijutsu, which was what he was currently trying to improve on. Lee had to prove his worth to everyone. He will not be considered dead weight._

_10,000 kicks must be completed before the rain starts pouring. If he doesn't finish by then, then he will run 1,000 laps around the village using only his hands. And if he doesn't accomplish that, then it's 5,000 thumb push-ups. _

_His legs were starting to hurt. There were probably splinters in his legs as well, due to the excessive tree kicking. But, the saying goes, "No pain, no gain." And plus, the tree was most likely hurting more than he was, so it wasn't a big deal. He could handle it. This will make him stronger and more resilient to pain._

_Light pitter patter sounds were made and disappointment swelled up inside his chest. He was only on the 5,183__rd__ kick. Did he fail that drastically?_

"_Lee? What are you doing outside in this kind of weather?" Lee jumped with joy! It wasn't the rain, but instead, it was his teammate! Oh youth must have been on his side today!_

"_Ah! Tenten! My youthful flower! Of course I am outside! Where else would I be? The weather is no match for the youthful Green Beast of Konoha!" He gave her his trademark smile, the one with the ping. Tenten sweat dropped. Perhaps she should've ignored him and kept walking._

"_It's about to rain. If you keep this up, you'll get sick and you won't be able to train with the team tomorrow." Tenten deadpanned, which only elicited a loud, dramatic gasp from her counterpart._

"_How could I be so unyouthfully careless as to only worry about youthful myself! I apologize with all my youth for my selfishness! For that, I must youthfully run around Konoha. I must repent! Repent I must!" He readied himself and sprinted off. Taking no more than 6 steps, Lee was suddenly yanked back by his arm. Black eyes stared into brown ones with a quizzical look. "The youthful blossom of Team Gai, you must unhand me this instant for I must commence my youth-filled laps!"_

"_Lee, it's going to start raining disastrously, the worst we've had in decades. If you stay out here, you're going to get drenched. I don't want a soggy teammate." She started pulling him towards the opposite direction._

"_But I must! I never go back on my word for it is most unyouthful!" Lee proclaimed boisterously, aggravating an already pissed off Tenten._

"_It's going to rain! R-A-I-N! How on Earth are you going to run when it's raining? The ground will get muddy and your vision will be obscured! Not only that, but there's going to be thunder and lightning! Being outside during a severe storm is a violation of the safety codes!" She screamed at his face, her patience at its limit._

"_Do not worry yourself, youthful blossom. My youth will protect me!" He jabbed a thumb proudly at himself while giving her a blinding smile. At her wit's ends, she punched him straight in the face, making him land some dozen meters away._

"_Why didn't your youth protect you from that, huh?" Fuming, Tenten stomped her feet and pointed her finger at Lee threateningly. He scampered up quickly, dusting the unyouthful dirt off his training attire._

"_Tenten! That was not youthful at all! Gai-sensei would be ashamed!" Exaggerated waterfalls dispelled from his charcoal eyes._

"_I was proving a point." Lee continued his endless sobs. Tenten slapped her hand to her forehead._

"_How am I supposed to look Gai-sensei in the eye and tell him about how unyouthful my teammate is? Oh the lack of youth!" Lee wailed, adding on to the direful noises of the storm. _

"_Cry me a river, build me a bridge, and get over it! Now come on! We have to find shelter!" Droplets of water started to drizzle onto the two young shinobi, but then increased its ferocity to douse the pair and everything neighboring them. "What the hell? Why now? WHY ME?" Like a cunning person she was, Tenten scampered under the metal roof of a random shop nearby while Lee just stood there in the middle of the training field proclaiming the unyouthfulness of the situation. "Lee! Get your ass over here! Or I will bring you forcefully! And I will not guarantee that you'll be lugged over here in one piece!" Lee gulped and scurried under and stood next to a cursing Tenten. He opened his mouth and was about to point out that youthful ladies do not swear, but she decided to evade another sentence involving youth._

"_Why are you trying so hard?" Tenten kept her scrutiny on the eerie scene in front of her. Lee was confused about the change in tone, but dismissed it and enveloped his own pensive attitude._

"_I have to prove myself to everyone." He looked straight on, admiring the way the water drifted of the trees._

"_By killing yourself in the process?" She elevated an elegant eyebrow, analyzing him from the corner of her eyes._

"_If that's what it'll take." Lee shrugged nonchalantly._

"_You shouldn't have to prove yourself to anyone, only to yourself." Tenten crossed her arms, appearing to be more interested in the storm than the conversation._

"_Perhaps. But I can't let people think I'm weak." He let his eyes wander over her face. Gai-sensei was right to call her beautiful. She didn't have Ino's provocative appeal, or Sakura's erotic delicacy, or Hinata's refined charm. But, she had this natural glamour that draws people in. Looking at Tenten, was like taking a breath of fresh air. She didn't wear make-up like the other girls. She didn't need to anyways. _

"_No one thinks you're weak, Lee. Crazy? Hell yeah. Weak? No." She laughed freely with melodiousness, not like the other women who hide their choppy snickers behind their hands._

"_But Neji-" Lee began, only to be rudely cut off by her._

"_Neji will be Neji." She waved off Lee's comment with a bored hand gesture. "He hasn't changed since the first time I met him and frankly, I don't think he ever will. He will always be a pompous butthead. Don't listen to him. I think you are a great shinobi. You should start thinking that, too." Finally making eye contact with Lee, she gave him a shy, comforting smile that warmed his inside up._

"_Ah. I guess so." He refocused his attention back on the landscape in front of him, a contented silence falling between them as they waited out the raging storm._

_Lee's unusualness was expected to repel people, but for Tenten, it only drew her in closer._

*..*..*..*..*..*

Lee sighed in exasperation once again that night. This party was clearly unyouthful. How could a spring ball be considered a spring ball without the color green? How preposterous. Green was the most youthful color of all, the perfect color for youthfullest season, yet he was not allowed to wear that color! How unyouthful could people get? Geez. So, now he was stuck in a stuffy, the-farthest-thing-from-youthful, dress suit. Gross. It was the most horrendous shade of black with a stupid white shirt underneath. How boring was that? Very. Lee sighed with frustration this time.

Across the room, he heard a collection of gasps. Shifting his gaze towards that area, he noticed someone peculiar. Long chocolate tresses trickled down her back and shoulders, framing the modest face enclosing beautiful almond eyes. A small button nose and natural red lips accompanied the two star-like features. The breath was knocked out of him. In a youthful manner, of course. But what really got his attention was her dress. Her green dress. His color. The color he wasn't allowed to wear. What in the name of Gai-sensei was going on? So he had to wear this atrocious clothing while she got to wear the most youthfullest color?

They locked eyes and her delicate mouth quirked up into a shy smile. That was when he knew. It was his teammate, the youthful blossom of Team Gai! A wide smile stretched from corner to corner, showing off the signature sparkle of his pearly whites. Tenten looked extravagantly breathtaking. No doubt about it. Apparently, most of the males thought that, too. They surrounded her like a predator closing in on its prey. Tenten radiated an uncomfortable aura, and Lee, being the dashingly charming, exuberantly youthful gentleman that he was, swooped in to save the day, like always.

Gliding crosswise the ballroom and sifting through the crowd, Lee managed to reach Tenten's side in a matter of minutes. Looping his arm through hers, he dragged her away from the mass of people and towards a secluded side of the room near the windows.

"Tenten, the youthful flower of our team! Comparing you to a flower is already a crime since your fairness outshines any flower! A flower is only divine during the spring season, but you, cherished Tenten, are enticing everyday of the year!" Lee smiled brightly, while Tenten blushed and altered her gaze en route to the floor.

"Thanks, Lee." She mumbled out, twisting her hands nervously. She's insecure, Lee concluded, but he doesn't know what for. Did she not see how heads turned when she walked through the door? This girl, he will never understand. She can be so confident on the battlefield. With her scrolls and various weapons, she could take on any opponent without batting an eye. But yet, when it comes to herself, armed with only her superior natural looks and a dress, she is unsure and self-doubting. Tenten wasn't even wearing make-up and still her loveliness surpassed all the other women's. She kept her stare on the polished linoleum floor, bashfully transferring her weight from one foot to another. He contemplated whether or not to continuously shake her until she realizes her incredible exquisiteness.

"Dearest Tenten, please do not be ashamed of your splendor because there is nothing to be ashamed of! You are like a dazzling diamond! You must embrace your inner youth and maximize the vivacity of your adorableness! Do not wallow here in uncertainty! Saunter around the room like you own it!" Lee grasped her hands and pleaded to her, while all Tenten did was scoff and roll her eyes.

"Lee, I don't want to act like Neji. I, for one, do not have a stick shoved up my ass." She pulled her hands back and played with the ends of her hair, an evident sign of insecurity. He sighed for the umpteenth time that night. Everyone in the room can see allurement. Everyone, but her.

"That is true! And I'm grateful for that every day!" He gave her his Nice Guy pose, but the usual effect was diminished slightly due to the lack of appropriate garments. Tenten chuckled softly and flipped her hair back behind her, then resumed to smile at the ground, uncaring of the hungry stares she was getting. Lee continued to admire her, but then a sudden thought popped into his head. "Why are you wearing the youthful color of green? I thought that your favorite color was red." He tilted his head quizzically in a childish manner.

"It is. But I heard that Sakura and Ino wouldn't let you wear green tonight, so I wore enough for the both of us." She smiled kindly at him and for once that night, exuded an air of confidence.

"You are so considerate! Not only are you beautiful, but you are most definitely youthful tonight! Let us venture to the buffet table and fill our stomachs till they burst!" He declared energetically, grabbing Tenten's hand and pulling her towards said table, oblivious to all the envious stares in the room.

Lee's unusualness was always a constant. Hers, however, was not. Tenten's beauty that night was amplified, not because of her changed appearance, but what made her beautiful was her rare unusualness.

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><p>Who should I do next?<p>

Review :)

-Neji'sGirl185


	8. Temari: Pessimistic

A/N: How's it going? Hopefully, it's not good, this will make your day. So, remember how I said this story was going to be about Tenten's guy best friends? Well, I changed my mind :) I don't think Tenten would just limit her friends to just guys, so here it is! I'd like to thank **OasisSerenity** for giving me the inspiration. And some major props goes out to **Tallen93** for giving me some ideas for this chapter.

Well, there's a part in this chapter where they both are just talking without doing anything else, so I separated their conversation into parts so it wouldn't be confusing. You'll know when you get there. The first line is always Temari and Tenten's is the second line.

I'd like to thank the reviewers from last chapter! I don't think this chapter would've been published this early without your reviews. So a round of applause to: **Crestfallenfeline, OasisSerenity, xBitterSweetDreamsx, **and **sh3v0k4s. **An infinity's worth of gratitude to you all :)

So without further ado, here's the next chapter.

Enjoy! :)

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><p><strong><span>Best Buds<span>  
><strong>

***-Temari-***

_Temari had always been pessimistic. Pessimism was like breathing to her. How could anyone be optimistic in her situation? She grew up with only two brothers and a crazed Kazekage for a father. One brother was a cold killer who barely had a conscience. The other was an obnoxious brat that played with doll. When she needed some female influence, no one was there. That shaped her to be who she is today._

_ Strolling down the foreign walkways of Konoha, Temari wanted to puke. These people made her sick. How could they be so freakin happy when a surprise attack was looming over their heads? Oh right. It was a surprise attack. But still, how can they be so fucking content like this on a daily basis? How could they smile like that? How could they laugh with free abandon? Temari had to admit, she was jealous. No. She was way beyond jealous. She was envious. Why couldn't she be like them? Why did she always have to get the short end of the stick? It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fucking fair. _

_ Part of her was glad that an attack was coming up. They needed to know the pain and hollowness she constantly felt. They needed to understand that everything in life wasn't about candy and rainbows. They needed to get out of their stupor, and Temari was gleeful she could be the one to give them a much needed wake up call. _

_ Continuing to walk aimlessly down the streets, Temari was pulled out of her reverie by a surprisingly strong, formidable force._

_ "Hey! Watch where you're go-" Temari stopped abruptly, eyeing the person now blocking her path, "Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. Out of the hospital so soon?" Smirking condescendingly at the weapons wielding brunette, she allowed her mind to be shocked by how quickly the younger one healed. There were barely any signs of their fight left. _

_ "You bet. You can't keep me down forever, Sand." Tenten crossed her arms over her chest, glaring full force at the blonde._

_ "We'll see, Leaf." She moved to grab her fan, but before her fingers could touch metal, it was halted by a small hand restraining her wrist._

_ "Not that I'm not up to the challenge or anything, but there's too many people here. Both our attacks are long range and damage a lot of area. Fighting here would be a very unwise decision." Tenten tossed Temari's wrist back to her and stepped out of the older girl's personal bubble. _

_ What a goodie two shoes, Temari thought. It shouldn't even matter though. Most of them will die anyways. It's just the decision of dying now or dying later. Che. Leaf nin were all wimps. Especially that Nara kid. Who the hell does he think he is? He didn't even want to fight her. If she had a choice, he would die first. He was, after all, her least favorite Leaf. _

_ But, to be honest, her favorite, if she could even have a favorite, would have to be the one in front of her, Bunny. The girl had fire in her eyes and wasn't afraid to get hurt. That demands some respect. More importantly, Tenten was just like her. She grew up without a mother as well and had to deal with her teammates, whom Temari concluded, were way worse than her family. _

_ This one hid her pain well. Instead of hiding her pain in dangerous scowls, she hid them in warm smiles. Instead of pessimism, she turned to optimism. Scowling further, Temari answered._

_ "Fine. Lead the way, Leaf." Tenten flashed a triumphant smirk and turned towards her original direction and walked off. Temari followed suit, remaining a half-step behind the young one possessing auburn tresses._

_ "How's your friend? The green one." Temari grunted out after minutes of silence._

_ "He could be better. He has to undergo a risky surgery and even after that, there's a high chance that he will never be able to be a Shinobi again." The brunette looked down at her feet while walking to the desired destination._

_ "That's a damn shame. Kid was pretty darn fast." Looking ahead, Temari noticed the training field and sped up her pace._

_ "No doubt. But, I believe he will make it and come out better than ever!" Hope and determination shined in Tenten's eyes. The older girl just stared incredulously at the younger one._

_ "Why do you hope? It's completely futile and just wastes your time and energy." Temari gave her a half-hearted glare. Kids these days._

_ "Why do I hope? Because there's nothing I can do to help him but hope. I have to believe in him, hope for him, because no one else will. That's what friends are for." Tenten lowered her voice and balled her fists._

_ "Heh." Temari scoffed. "I pity you. I pity all you damn fools. You don't know. You don't know that around you, you've built a wall of false security. Behind that wall, you believe what you want to. You dream. You hope. But hope is the biggest lie of all. A lie that all of you believe in. Hope will only raise your spirits temporarily, but then shatters everything that you are." Temari had never told anyone this before, so she questioned herself why should would tell of all people, her enemy. Perhaps it was because Tenten was going to die in the foreseeable future._

_ "You're wrong." Tenten took a deep breath. "It is you who I pity. Hope isn't a lie. It's not even close. It's what keeps you living. Once you stop hoping, you stop living. You stop seeing the goodness in life. You stop seeing the possibilities. Hope keeps your will to live burning. Without it, you might as well be dead." They walked through the field and stopped in the center, facing each other. "I hope you grasp that concept before it's too late."_

_ It was at this moment that Temari realized they were bonding. The bond she had been searching for all her life. They were kind of like friends in that moment. _

_ "We'll see." They got into their stances, ready to pounce. Every fiber of her being wished they could stay like this. Then, she would at least have someone to she could talk to. "Now, let's fight." And fight, they did._

_ Being a pessimist, Temari knew that this friendship, if it could even be called a friendship, would never last. Not when she had to attack this village in three days. _

*..*..*..*..*..*

Tenten stepped through the gates of Suna and was very tempted to do a victory dance. A trip to Suna from Konoha usually took about three days, if one was lucky. She made it here in two. Either some pretty strong magnets were pulling the two villages closer together, or she was just too damn good.

About to pass out from the intense Suna heat, she quickly made her way to the Kazekage Towers. All she had to do now was to hand Gaara the scroll and forcefully demand water from the half-grown Kazekage.

The guards at the front doors asked if she required assistance in getting to the office and she scoffed at him, in a polite, dignified way of course. Neji didn't teach her nothing. She refused because she knew this place like her weapons inventory. Which was very well.

Positioning her hand in a knocking manner, she was about to enter the office until she was suddenly hijacked by a fair-haired fan wielder.

"Temari! Unhand me this instant! I have to give this to Gaara, baka!" She gestured to the scroll snuggled tightly in her right hand. Temari took a gander down at said object and then scanned down the hall. She let out a cantankerous snort. Snatching the scroll out of Tenten's hand, she chucked it at Kankuro.

"Oww~!" Rubbing his face, Kankuro let out a low growl and bent down to pick up the offending object.

"Deliver that to Gaara, kay?" Then she shifted her concernment back to Tenten. "See? Problem solved. You're welcome." She then proceeded past Kankuro and headed in the direction of her room.

Once inside, she dropped the brunette down and started her zealous interrogation.

"Is it true?" Temari asked, surveying Tenten for any clues of lying.

"Is what true?" Tenten was more confused than the time Kiba found himself in a cat store. Temari gave her a pointed stare and clicked her tongue several times in annoyance.

"Is it true that you and Neji are dating?" Temari plopped herself on the floor next to Tenten and leaned forward, eager to hear the juicy news.

"What? Where did you get that idea from?" Temari has never been patient in her life. So for her to last this long was already a miracle. She sighed exasperatedly.

"Shikamaru told me he had suspicions about you two. And then a couple months ago, Kankuro was in Konoha and he thought he saw you guys in a restaurant holding hands. But it was dark so he couldn't tell." Tenten let her jaw drop. Her face went red, whether it was from anger or embarrassment, Temari didn't know.

"What. The. Heck." Tenten wanted to face palm. Crap. She was so going to kill those two.

"So…is it true?" Temari leaned bothersomely into Tenten's personal space.

"I will neither confirm nor deny the accusation." Tenten crossed her arms and stared the other girl straight in the eye defiantly.

"What the fuck? Why was I not informed of this development? I thought we were best friends!" The elder girl lamented, trying to make Tenten feel guilty.

"I never confirmed that piece of information." She said matter of factly, almost in a snobbish way.

"You never denied it either!" Temari pointed a finger threateningly at the Bunned one.

"Touché. You got me there. Let's just say that my relationship with Neji is as romantic as yours with Shikamaru." Tenten mentally applauded herself for her ability to make people red in the face.

"There is nothing going on between us!" sputtered out quickly by a flustered green-eyed blonde.

"And why don't I believe that?" Smirking like a winner who just received chicken dinner, Tenten allowed herself to revel in this small victory.

"Why don't you? I'm telling you straight up that there's nothing between us!" Steam was coming out of the flaxen-haired's ears and Tenten thought for a second that she was going to get whacked by the fan. "I would never fall for a lazy bastard like him!" Temari screeched.

"Then why do you have a picture of him on your nightstand?" Whisking her head around to find the felonious object, Temari's fury increased sevenfold, while Tenten chuckled. Stomping over to the nightstand, she gripped the picture and hurled it at the wall, sending shards of glass all over the room.

"Now, now, Tem-chan. No need to get angry. Why did you break it? I bet it was pretty hard to stalk him and take the picture, no?" Tenten narrowly missed the strike of the fan.

"I do not stalk him!" Temari balled her fists tightly against her sides.

"Sure, sure you don't. But seriously, if you're not going out with him, why don't you? I mean everyone can tell you guys have a thing for each other. For goodness sakes, Naruto can tell! And he's the King of Obliviousness. What's stopping you?" Tenten vented out with frustration.

"There's nothing to stop something that doesn't exist!" Why could Tenten leave it alone? Her brothers never cared about this shit.

"Seriously, Tem. Stop hiding. I can read you like a book. Stop bottling things in. It's not healthy. Don't keep secrets between us." Tenten tried to reason, but only got a furious scowl in return.

"Look who the fucking hypocrite is! Tell me about Neji and I'll tell you about Shikamaru!" Situating herself on her bed, Temari beckoned Tenten to sit there with her. It was, after all, more comfortable than the floor.

Tenten sighed in defeat. Weighing her options in her head, she came to a conclusion. Temari did have a point. "Fine. I am dating Neji. Happy now?" The amber-eyed brunette gave the other girl the most bored expression she could muster.

A grin broke out on Temari's face. "I knew it! I fucking knew it! How long?"

"About a year and a half. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone yet since Neji is still trying to work things out with the clan and stuff. Sorry about that, Tem-chan." She looked at the comforter with a guilty expression. Temari just punched her in the arm jokingly.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I gotcha. It was a sticky situation." Hugging a pillow close to her chest, Temari tried to gather her courage. Letting out a big sigh and closing her eyes, she gained it.

"I guess I do have some feelings for Shikamaru. But if you ever tell anyone, I swear I will freakin gouge your eyes out!" She gave Tenten her most menacing glare. But Tenten being used to Neji, was unfazed.

"Yeah, yeah. So why aren't you guys dating?" Tenten leaned against the wall and stared at the older gal nonchalantly.

"It would never work out." She spoke in a solemn, hopeless voice.

"Is that so? How would you know if you never try?" Tenten quirked an eyebrow at her friend's absurdness.

"I've heard my fair share of stories to know that long distance relationships never work." Gazing into copper eyes, Temari let herself drift into depression.

" Short distance ones don't all work out either." Tenten refused to let her best friend think like this. She would counter all of Temari's unreasonable reasons if that's what it took.

...

"But it's three days from Suna to Konoha."

"Be glad it's not four."

...

"We wouldn't see each other often."

"Ask Gaara to give you more diplomatic missions."

...

"What if he cheats on me?"

"He's too lazy to cheat on you."

...

"He has weird hair."

"And you don't?"

...

"He wears earrings."

"You guys can switch pairs."

...

"He's lazy. I hate lazy people."

"Don't you just hate people in general?"

...

"His favorite hobby is sleeping."

"His new favorite hobby could be sleeping with you."

...

"He likes clouds."

"Clouds protect you from ultraviolet radiation. What's not to like about them?"

...

"He has terrible fashion sense."

"So do you."

...

"He's scared of his mom."

"Hey, you would be too if you met her."

...

"He says troublesome a lot."

"Because everything is troublesome."

...

"If we have kids one day, he will contribute his smartness. What can I offer?"

"Your badassness."

...

"Where would we live?"

"In a house, I would think."

...

"I don't want to leave Suna."

"Then persuade him to come here."

...

"What if I want more than two kids?"

"Get him drunk."

...

"I hate Ino."

"Oh good. I'm pretty sure she hates you, too."

...

"What if we both want to sleep on the same side of the bed?"

"Rock paper scissors…to the death."

...

"I can't leave my brothers."

"They can take care of themselves."

...

"He thinks I'm annoying."

"Everyone does."

...

"I'm like three years older than him."

"Guys like older women. It boosts their ego."

...

"What if we break up?"

"Then it should've been worth it."

...

Temari sighed for the umpteenth time in that conversation. Tenten did have a point. What did she have to be afraid of? She pondered for awhile.

Tenten had to hand it to herself. She was good. So good. No wonder why people seem to be intimidated by her. If she didn't know herself, she would be too. She was just too damn good.

"I guess you're right, Ten. What the hell, I've got nothing to lose." Temari dead panned and laid back on her bed.

"Yes! That's good. Oh did I tell you? Shikamaru is coming here in a week. You can just woo him then. No worries, right?" Tenten smiled like a Cheshire cat and let out a wicked smile as she saw Temari begin to panic.

Fanfuckingtastic. In these dire circumstances, Temari couldn't help but to be pessimistic. Who wouldn't be?

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><p>Hope you liked it! Review :D<p>

-Neji'sGirl185


	9. Hinata: Domestic

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter!

Special thanks goes out to **pink hell****, xBitterSweetDreamsx, and Dreaming101** for their spirit lifting reviews! :D

Also, much gratitude is directed towards **i . don****'tMISS, xBitterSweetDreamsx, FruitySmell, Claudia Kira Archer, life419, and TheGirlInTheBackground** for adding this story to their favorites/alerts list! You all = day made :)

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><p><strong><span>Best Buds<span>**

***-Hinata Hyuga-***

_Hinata Hyuga was the most domestic shinobi in the entire village of Konoha. Growing up as the Hyuga Heiress, domestication was literally shoved down her throat until it was permanently etched into her cerebrum. From an early age, she was taught how to be the perfect noble lady. Day after day, she learned how to walk, how to talk, and how to act like a proper noble. Hinata was forced to study the domestic arts, which was more torturous than getting stabbed repeatedly in the eye by a senbon laced with poison._

_ Her family made sure she never forgot her place. It was like their little revenge on the poor girl. Half of them hated her because she was from the main branch, Neji included. The other half hated her because she was weak. It was a lose-lose situation. Hinata was like a flower blooming out of concrete, her family being the cold and harsh concrete. It was a life full of solitude. But she tried her best to reach out to her fellow clansmen, to her cousin the most. His face was always devoid of emotion. His posture was condescending and guarded. He didn't talk to her unless it was absolutely necessary. And even then, he would usually spout a few words about fate._

_The only way to get him to really talk was to inquire about his team, specifically his sparring partner. When in a good mood, he would tell her about the auburn beauty. Surprisingly, the topic of the Weapons Mistress surpassed the topic of fate._

_Hinata was supposed to be irritated and malevolent towards the girl for acquiring her nii-san's attention, but she found that no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't dislike the older girl. Not when Tenten had to deal with an arrogant, insufferable ice-cube for eight hours straight on a daily basis. Hinata loved her Neji-nii-san dearly, but still, she could only handle him for an hour a day, at most. Truly, Tenten was a saint. A deadly saint skilled with weapons._

_The first time Hinata conversed with Tenten, she almost decapitated the older girl with a frying pan. _

_It was some years ago when that incident happened. Neji-nii-san had been training since before the sun even dared to rise and had not come home for dinner. Hinata, being the kind and considerate cousin she was, decided to make him dinner. She didn't want him to come home exhausted, only to have to cook his own supper, or worse, having to slumber without eating._

_Channeling her inner rebel, she stayed up past her bedtime and prepared for him a delicious meal. The meal itself was simple. It was just some stir fry, but it was the thought that counted. Surely, it would suffice. Patiently, she waited for her cousin's late return._

_He came home no more than half an hour later. Ornamenting his lean frame were various cuts and bruises. His clothes were caked in mud and his hair was disheveled to the point of looking like cotton candy. This was, no doubt, caused by Tenten._

_Placing a warm, placating smile on her porcelain face, she was about to greet her cousin, when he rudely interrupted her._

"_Hinata-sama, what are you doing up this late?" He bowed while scowling darkly at her, almost as if he was criminalizing her for a treasonous act._

"_G-good evening, Neji-nii-san. You did not come home for dinner earlier and I just wanted to make sure you had something to eat." Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. She never met his calculating eyes. "I made you some stir fry. I hope it is to your liking." _

"_Thank you for your concern, but it was unneeded. I am not hungry and I wish to rest. Goodnight, Hinata-sama." With that being said, he bowed and walked briskly away from her. Disappointment clawed brutally at her chest. She thought for a second he would be grateful towards her. What a fool she was. Neji Hyuga was never grateful. Treading softly to the kitchen, she gloomily began to pack away the food. If nii-san won't eat it, maybe Naruto-kun will. He loved food, didn't he?_

_She carefully deposited the toasty stir fry into a plastic container, trying not to spill. Setting it gingerly inside the fridge, she closed it with an easeful thud._

_Quickly cleaning up and washing the dishes, Hinata began to hum a delightful tune to herself. Minutes passed and Hinata was lost in her world, a world where no one was resentful to anyone. She unconsciously clutched the cleaned pan closer to her chest._

"_Hey Hinata! Do you still have some stir fry left over?" A voice from nowhere spoke, startling the timid girl._

"_Ahhhhhhh!" The heiress hollered and pendulated the pan in every direction like a madman on steroids. She would've hit Tenten square in the face had the older girl not ducked in time._

"_Nice swing. Great power. But if you really wanted to hit me, you should've swung faster." Tenten spoke as she crouched on the granite countertop. Hinata stopped swinging at the sound of the soothing and seemingly harmless voice._

"_T-Tenten-san? I-is that you?" She stared judgmentally at the notorious teammate of her cousin._

"_No, it's Santa Claus. Of course it's me, noob." Hinata stifled a chuckled behind her hand. Tenten let a voluminous smile rest across her face. "You know, you're the first Hyuga that I've heard laugh. I commend you on your unpompousness." She plopped herself down on the counter and leaned against the cupboards lazily, letting her legs dangle._

"_T-thank you, Tenten-san. U-um, about the stir fry, i-it's in a plastic container, in the fridge." Hinata pointed shyly towards the rectangular appliance. "N-not to sound r-rude or anything, T-tenten-san, b-but what are you doing h-here this late?" The short-haired girl grilled._

"_Well, my house doesn't have any food since I forgot to go grocery shopping last week. And all the shops are closed at this time of night. So, I came here to bother Neji for some food since it was his fault I didn't get to eat. He told me you made some stir fry and so here I am! Ta da!" To prove her point, her stomach growled indecently loud._

"_A-alright." They Hyuga opened a well furnished drawer and pulled out a pair of ornate chopsticks and handed it over to the brunette._

"_Thank you!" Tenten hurdled off the counter and scurried rapidly to the fridge. Ripping the door off its hinges, she seized the container. "Whoops." She said, referring to the now useless door. "I'll fix it later, I promise." Then, she dug in. "Wow! This is really good, Hinata! It's only like the best thing that I have ever eaten in my entire life!" Hinata blushed at the comment and looked with disbelief at the girl stuffing her face discourteously._

"_Thank you for the compliment, Tenten-san. U-um, do you always eat like that?" Hinata asked demurely, scooting as far away from the food crazed girl as she could._

"_Not all the time. But I'm really hungry. I missed breakfast, lunch, AND dinner! Neji is such an asshole. Pardon my French." Tenten started chewing angrily at the mention of the intolerable Hyuga Prodigy._

"_Y-yeah. He kind of is. I s-stayed up to make him food and he didn't even bother to eat it." Hinata fumed bashfully, which Tenten found amusing._

"_What a bastard!" Tenten exclaimed loudly. "Sorry." She added in promptly when she saw Hinata wince. "This is really scrumptious. Hey Hinata! Do you think that sometime you could teach me how to cook? Tenten looked at the heiress hopefully._

"_I'd love to teach you, T-tenten-san." Hinata smiled kindly at the Weapons Mistress._

"_Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" She surged off the counter and earnestly encompassed the tinier girl in a bone-crushing, Team Gai hug._

"_You're w-welcome." Hinata patted her back affectionately. Tenten finally let go after a minute while beaming brilliantly like the sun. "Would it be acceptable if I came over every Saturday? I could teach you then." Tenten placed a finger on her chin thoughtfully._

"_Oooh, I can't. Saturdays are shogi days. I can't miss that. Sorry." The ochre-haired one stuck out an award winning pout._

"_Hmm, how about Sundays?" Hinata suggested advantageously._

"_That's perfect, Hina-chan! Wait, can I call you Hina-chan?" She queried brazenly._

"_Only if I can call you Ten-nee-san." Hinata smiled innocently as Tenten blushed._

"_Sure." The girl with chocolate eyes conceded._

_They talked throughout the night about nothing and everything, ranging from battle tactics to Neji's hair conditioner. If any Hyuga happened to pass by the kitchen the next morning, they would find two girls sprawled out unsophisticatedly on the hardwood floor, a melted vanilla ice cream tub with two protruding spoons between them, and the refrigerator denuded of its door._

_When Tenten entered her life, Hinata was bound to lose her domestication. _

*..*..*..*..*..*

Hinata buoyantly made her way to Tenten's apartment, bearing a grocery bag filled with random ingredients. Today was Sunday, her favorite day in the entire week, hands down.

Greeting fellow villagers and shinobi alike on her journey, she impetuously tried to reach Tenten's humble abode. She shouldn't keep Ten-nee-san waiting. The older girl severely lacked patience whenever she spent her Saturdays at the Nara Compound. Her intelligence was always compromised there.

Reaching the apartment door, Hinata rapped her knuckles on the door three times in succession.

"Come in! The door's open!" The voice was slightly muffled by the thickness of the door. Twisting the knob and entering cautiously, Hinata scanned the apartment and approved the cleanliness of the place. Usually, the entire flat would be cramped with scrolls, weapons, and other various oddities. Ten-nee-san must've not had a mission the previous week.

"I'm in the kitchen, Hina-chan!" Tenten boomed from the adjacent kitchen. Hinata swiftly traveled in pursuance of the voice and noticed her best friend decked out in righteous kitchen gear. Donning a pink apron, in one hand was a whisk and in the other was a silver mixing bowl. Tenten looked like a boss.

"Must I continue to warn you that it is a safety hazard to leave your door unlocked at all times?" Hinata chided the older girl and gave her a disheartened look. "What if someone came in and attacked you?"

"I would dare anyone to barge in and attack me. They know what's in here. They know who I am. So they better have enough sanity to not mess with me." Tenten retorted, raising her whisk menacingly.

"Oh yes. A dangerous chef in a pink apron armed with a whisk. I can see the burglars trembling in fear now." Hinata rolled her eyes at the drama.

"You bet they will." Tenten retaliated acrimoniously.

"So what are you going to make today?" The blue haired girl maneuvered around the kitchen towards the open cookbook. That is, until Tenten stopped her with the whisk.

"Quiver at the power of the whisk! Anyways, it's a surprise!" Hinata wanted to blatantly scoff at the idea.

"Last time you said that, Ten-nee-san, you almost burned down the building." Hinata crossed her arms defiantly, making her look like her cousin.

"It'll be different this time, I promise!" The copper-eyed kunoichi countered charismatically.

"Fine." Hinata sat herself on a barstool by the counter and began to flip through a weapons magazine.

"Aw thanks, Hina-chan!" Tenten briefly threw her arms around a jubilated Hinata and skedaddled back to the stove to start on her surprise.

Tenten poured out the ingredients from the bag. The ones she didn't need, she put in the cabinets. Staring attentively at the remaining ingredients, she nodded her head absentmindedly and proceeded to start cooking.

Every five minutes, Hinata would glance up from the magazine and analyze the state of the kitchen. Once she was assured that the kitchen wouldn't burst into flames, she resumed her pleasant reading.

About two hours later, Tenten finished her surprise. Flour was tossed on her face; sweat was present on her brow. She worked hard. Tenten creeped stealthily up behind Hinata.

"Hey, Hina-chan!" She cupped her hands and bellowed. Hinata was terrorized once again and almost flew out of her seat.

"You have got to stop doing that." She scolded.

"No way. It's too much fun." Tenten grinned wickedly and dodged a well aimed punch from Hinata.

"So what did you make?" The young heiress asked honestly, staring with scrutiny at the creation.

"What does it look like I made?" Tenten challenged, raising her eyebrow and settling her hands on her hips.

"Um, I'd rather not answer that." Hinata twiddled her thumbs nervously, a habit she never quite got rid of.

"It's a pie, baka." Tenten flicked her forehead and gave the sheepish girl a deathly glare.

"It doesn't look like a pie." Hinata diverted her attention away from Tenten and the supposed pie.

"Well, Pie Expert-sama, what does it look like then?" Tenten folded her arms across her chest and leveled her gaze.

"Can I lie?" The byakugan wielder stared at her lap in apprehension.

"No." The elder girl hardened her glare even more, if that was possible.

"It looks like someone shoved a squirrel in a pan and blew it up." Hinata muttered hastily and raised her arms to protect her face.

"Now that you've said that, I can kind of see it." Tenten let her eyes rove over her pastry. "What the heck! I followed all the steps in the cookbook and everything!" She gestured to thick book propped up fancily beside the oven. "Why does this always have to happen to me?" Tenten drooped her head in a self-pitying manner.

Hinata glanced at the "pie" and decided she wasn't going to eat it. Next she looked at Tenten, who was pacing with fury, and wanted to sigh hopelessly. Lastly, she took a gander at the cookbook and slapped her forehead in frustration

"Ten-nee-san?" She wringed her hands in her lap fiercely.

"What?" Tenten yelled out. Hinata jumped back at the belligerence of her voice.

"The cookbook is upside down." She murmured quietly.

"Oh…"

Hinata was the perfect example of domestication. Tenten, on the other hand, was -well, at least she was getting closer and closer every week.

* * *

><p>I can just see this happening, can't you? :)<p>

Review!

Thanks :D

...

Anyways, check out my Spanish teacher's music video if you wanna have a good laugh and learn some educational stuff!

**TRABAJANDO SPANISH MUSIC VIDEO:**

www . youtube . com/watch?v=cmoU18q-TUc

...

Have a good rest of the day,

-Neji'sGirl185


	10. Choji: Disregardable

**A/N: **Hey guys. I am super sorry for the late update :( My old laptop decided to self destruct. My parents offered to buy me a new one if I could get a really good score on my ACT. Does a 33 sound as good to you as it does to me? :) So for the past two months, I've been cramped in my room studying my butt off. To celebrate, I thought you guys would want a new chapter! :D

Several people have requested I write about Choji so here it is, although his birthday has already passed. I was actually eating barbeque chips when I wrote this chapter :) I was listening to Hakuna Matata, too. Nothing gets your creative juices going like Disney.

And a lifetimes worth of thanks to my charming and enchanting reviewers: **xBitterSweetDreamsx, Dreaming101, Ariasujm-chan, JaylaKahoonaLagoona,** and **Animefangirl95! **Thank you so much for sharing your opinions! :D

Much gratitude goes out to the following readers who favorited and/or alerted this story: **Ariasujm-chan, WickedSilence13, Animefangirl95, maddie4president, Lovelychibi7, Reider, **and **JaylaKahoonaLagoona! **You all are definitely irreplaceable! :)

And last, but certainly not least, thank you to all the readers who have stuck with this story! I know what it's like to be in your position and I thank you all for your uncanny amount of patience. :D

Please enjoy the chapter! :D

* * *

><p><strong><span>Best Buds<span>**

***-Choji Akimichi-***

_Choji Akimichi was a disregardable kind of person. Although he was heir to his clan, he never liked the limelight. The attention only brought him insults for not having a god-like body. Ever since he was a kid, people have made fun of him for his roundness. It's not like it was his choice to be like that, but those clan jutsus took a lot out of him. Energy comes from food. What other choice did he have? So, he resorted to fading into the background. The less he was seen, the less opportunities people would have to ridicule him. It was his way of living for a long time. Surely, it would've continued had he not met Tenten._

_The first time Choji talked to Tenten, they obliterated Choji's favorite supermarket._

_Choji's day had not been going so well. Actually, it completely sucked. He missed breakfast earlier because of a mandatory training session. In training, he performed the same dull exercises over and over again while listening to Ino's complaints and Shikamaru's snores. Furthermore, his supply of barbeque chips was depleted. Due to that deplorable development, Choji had to trudge all the way across the village to get his chips. Sure he could've gone to a closer store, but usually those stores were always crowded. That's why he had to go to his favorite store, which was secluded enough to maintain his solitude. It wouldn't have been too tragic if it wasn't for the unbearable, sweltering heat._

_By the time he reached the quaint market, Choji was covered in a not so thin sheet of sweat. He greedily welcomed the wintry, refreshing air the store provided. The tantalizing wisps of air swirled around his body like a cocoon of chilliness. Like a boss, Choji trekked through the aisles effortlessly. Most likely, he could navigate around the mart with both his eyes closed. He did come here almost every other day. _

_Arriving at his desired destination, Choji allowed himself to smile in satisfaction. Spying the plastic sack filled with all of life's joy, Choji decided it was definitely worth the long expedition. Reaching for the last bag of barbeque chips, the Akimichi heir couldn't believe how lucky he was. That was until another hand shot out to grab the same bag._

_Flabbergasted charcoal eyes connected to tumultuous bronze ones in a heated stare. A wave of nostalgia hit the young lad. It was that one girl on that extremely eccentric team. She's the one with all those scary weapons. Tenten, wasn't it?_

_Choji was pulled out of his inner musings by a forced cough._

"_Please let go of __**my**__ chips." To emphasize, Tenten tugged the bag towards her with a force to be reckoned with. A scowl was painted across her cherry lips._

"_**Yours**__? You are clearly mistaken. It's __**my**__ bag of chips." Choji didn't know why he was being so cantankerous. Usually he would've just left and avoided the unwanted confrontation. It must've been the intolerable heat._

"_How could it be yours when I saw it __**first**__?" She tugged harder while using both her hands._

"_How do you know __**I**__ didn't see it first?" Choji employed the same tactic, each of his hands gripping onto one of the plastic foil corners. It was a good thing the material was high quality. Otherwise, the bag would've been ripped in half by now._

"_Well I __**need**__ this!"_

"_Yeah? Well go need something else because these chips are __**mine**__!" _

"_I have been up since the crack of dawn dealing with a menopausal, stuffy dickwad and two, __**count 'em two**__, psychotic cucumbers that insist on shoving the word 'youth' into every sentence. I will fucking __**die**__ if I don't get my chips." Tenten gritted through her teeth and annunciated each word venomously. She dug her heels into the floor and leaned back to gain leverage._

"_You think you've had it rough? I had to miss __**breakfast**__, the most important meal of the day, only to show up to __**another**__ unaccomplished training session just to deal with a whiny, gossiping bitch and a lazy, callous, sorry excuse for a best friend who can only sleep and cloud watch!" Choji was huffing at this point. He was too caught up in his own rant to notice the murderous gleam in the brunette's eyes._

"_I will not have you slander my best friend in such a manner! Prepare to meet your doom!" Tenten released her hold on the potato snacks, sending Choji flying backwards. Before he could get up, she whipped her scrolls seemingly out of thin air and sent a flurry of attacks at him. Various weapons ranging from kunais to katanas and scythes sliced through the air aiming at the heir. An extended arm swung around the market, knocking over shelves and merchandise. Jars shattered, ceiling tiles fell, and cabbages were tossed around precariously in the barrage of rage induced attacks. In other words, all hell broke loose._

_As their anger diminished, so did the items left unharmed in the store. They only broke out of their rampages when the store owner began chasing them with a broom. As they were running for their lives, the sunlight trickled off of Tenten's hair at just the right angle, making it look like a chocolate waterfall. She looked…angelic. But how could someone who just tried to kill him look angelic? It must've definitely been the agonizing heat._

_In the end, both decided to split the chips and the bill for the total damages caused. To repent, two strongly worded, heartfelt apology letters were thrown in._

_By the end of the week, news had spread about the scandalous Supermarket Smashers. Choji and Tenten couldn't hear the end of it. Everywhere they went, they were looked upon with disapproval, weariness, and the occasional amusement. Choji dashed all hope of being disregarded once again. From then on, the two built a sturdy friendship while trying to find solitude from nosy villagers._

_Despite denying it profusely, Choji rather enjoyed her presence. But he couldn't decide whether he preferred her companionship or isolation. One thing for sure though, no matter what he did, Choji couldn't disregard the angelic, yet fiery brunette from his head._

*..*..*..*..*..*

Leaves crinkled in silent agony as two pairs of feet clad in standard Shinobi sandals treaded ruthlessly on the autumn treasures. The chilliness of the season snipped at the unprepared female geared in sleeveless blouse. The male, however, was over prepared, bringing bags of chips in case their mission would take longer than expected. Skidding to a halt, both bodies crouched behind an unsuspecting shrub, peeking between the scarce leaves clinging desperately to the branches.

"There!" Two heads swiveled to witness a small girl entering a plain, wooden building. "Target sighted."

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Tenten?" The female addressed furrowed her eyebrows and narrowed her gaze to her partner as he stuffed his face with yet another handful of chips.

"No. It's a great idea!" An annoyed sigh fell through the lips of one Choji Akimichi as he looked upon his accomplice with disbelief.

"We are stalking a _thirteen_ _year old_ _girl_." He pointed out blatantly in between munches.

"A thirteen year old girl that's an influential _president!"_

"Of Shikamaru's _fan club!_"

"I don't care if she's the stinking President of England-"

"They have a Queen." Choji corrected, only to be completely ignored.

"-We were given this mission by the Kazekage-"

"The Kazekage's _sister._" He, once again, interjected, but Tenten plowed on.

"-I will not fail him or the village of Suna now in their time of need!"

"Seriously? Suna needs this?" Choji let incredulity slip into his voice.

"Of course! If we get rid of these fangirls, the relationship between Temari and Shikamaru will strengthen and thus, so will the bond between Suna and Konoha! Now come on! Let's go check out what they're talking about!" Tenten tiptoed out from behind the shrubs and bounded up the steps to the building. Choji had no choice but to follow as he finished his third bag of chips.

"First stalking, now eavesdropping! These are the kinds of things society frowns upon!" But Tenten paid no heed; she just peeked through the small slit of a window in the door. Choji didn't know what exactly she saw, but she made a throwing up gesture. Letting his curiosity take over, he pressed his ear to the door while pulling out another chip bag. He only heard snippets, but it was enough to make him gag. He lost his appetite and quickly cast aside his unfinished chips.

Whatever was going on must've ended because the footsteps were getting closer to the door. Tenten saw them filing out and announced, "Quick! Act natural!" Apparently, acting natural meant sitting on the steps of the building in plain sight trying awkwardly to look nonchalant. "Don't screw this up!" She whispered loudly in an obnoxious voice.

Not a full second later, the door swung open to reveal a hoard of girls wearing t-shirts with Shikamaru's bored face on them. A high squeal soon followed.

"Eeep! I can't believe it! It's Tenten and Choji!" The target rushed out in one breath. Her eyes shined with glee as she clasped her hands in front of her face while jumping up and down.

"Um…Hi?" Tenten raised her hand in an awkward half wave. That only prompted the girl to jump higher and squeal louder. The girl was practically bursting with happiness.

"You two are Shika-kun's closest friends right? Right?" She stuck her face an inch away from Tenten's.

"…you could say so." Choji took the liberty of answering that question to relieve his hot tempered comrade.

"Ooooh! Tell me everything about Shika-kun! What's his favorite cloud? Is it cumulous, nimbus, cirrus?" The president switched her attention to Choji.

"I think he likes all types of-"

"Is he a boxers or briefs kind of guy?" She had a faraway look on her face and he wondered if she even heard him.

"I…um…never looked?"

"What shampoo does he use?" Choji had a strong urge to face palm, or better yet, render himself unconscious.

"I don't concern myself with his hygienic needs-"

"No wait! Tell me how Shika-kun really is!" Choji was once again disregarded.

"Don't worry Choji, I got this one." Tenten spoke up before he could choke the life out of the girl. The intrusion was cordially embraced as Choji breathed out a sigh of relief. Tenten rolled her eyes to the sky, as if she was thinking.

"On the outside, Shikamaru may appear like a lazy, indifferent, sarcastic piece of shit. But just like an onion, when you peel off more layers, you find the same exact thing every single time and you start crying." Tenten kept her tone apathetic, as if she was merely talking about the weather and not about the current clique's idol. She paid no consideration to the outraged gasps of the crowd behind her, choosing to focus more on her cuticles. Subtly, she signaled Choji to continue.

"Correct. He's the most selfish, infuriating, conniving asshole that you'll ever have the displeasure of meeting. It's best if you forget all about him. He's not worth your time or the beatings that you'll receive from his girlfriend if you don't back off. Let's not forget that she's also suffering from the cruel, torturous punishment known as Shikamaru Nara." Choji wasn't really lying, he was simply not telling the entire truth. Those were the traits of the Nara heir, but Choji didn't mention the good ones, which far outweighed the bad ones.

Tenten flashed Choji a thumbs up and he mentally sighed. Of all the lames poses to do. Lee and Gai must really be getting to her. Choji sent back an uncertain and uncomfortable thumbs up, making Tenten chuckle under her breath. Unbeknownst to the two, the girls behind them were raging. Murmurs of "no way," "not true," and "liars" were circulating throughout the gathered crowd. But, the most prominent of all was, "Let's get those motherfuckers!"

And for the rest of the afternoon, the delinquential duo was running away from the ferocious fan girls, hiding in random buildings and alleys. Choji knew they should've disregarded the mission when they first heard it spill from the sandy blonde's lips. But as he caught sight of the smile on Tenten's face, he knew it was completely worth it.

Narrowly missing the swing of a baseball bat, Choji wished he could turn back to the times when he was disregardable.

* * *

><p>I literally wrote ten different versions of this chapter. So please tell me if you liked it or if there are any changes that need to be made :) I am open to all suggestions! :D<p>

-Neji'sGirl185


	11. Ino: Persistent

**A/N: **And here is the new chapter! This was a pretty rough chapter for me. I don't think it's one of my best works so I hope you aren't too disappointed by it.

Thank you to all the readers who recently reviewed, alerted, and/or favorited this story! **JaylaKahoonaLagoona, xBitterSweetDreamsx, Lawi, Animefangirl95, Lovelychibi7, Guest, Dreaming101, Oasis Serenity,** and **FruitySmell. **

* * *

><p><strong><span>Best Buds<span>  
><strong>

***-Ino Yamanaka-***

_Ino Yamanaka was persistent to the point of being unbearably annoying. She was like that fly in your house that kept buzzing everywhere and you were never successful at swatting it. When she wanted something, she tried her darnedest to get, regardless of the consequences. Some could say it was part of her charm. Her doggedness was how she managed to pry the juiciest news out of all the villagers. It was the same persistence that almost cost Ino her life. _

_A thousand times Ino had seen her standing, looking quite bemused next to her distressed teammate being swarmed by fan girls of all ages. Sometimes, she would even hear the older girl encouraging the fans. "Go for the hair or go home!" It was during those moments that Ino realized that never again would there be a pair as perfect as them. They completed each other so exquisitely that one had to be a rock to miss the electrifying chemistry._

_The first time Ino talked to her, the blonde had to apologize for the first time in her life. _

_It was just a regular day at the shop for Ino. There hadn't even been one single customer and she was bored out of her mind. Resting her elbows on the counter, she spied a pissed off Tenten stalking through the streets of Konoha. Usually, the Weapon Mistress was always jolly. That was quite different and it attracted her interest. Rushing out the door and tossing her apron off haphazardly, she skidded to a halt in front of the bewildered older girl._

"_What happened? Are you involved in an illustrious love triangle consisting of Neji and Gaara and Lee? Well, now that I think about it, it's more like a love web thingy. And are they currently battling it out for the fair maiden's hand? And you are stomping away because you are supposed to get to decide your Prince Charming and not some stupid, lame battle?" Clutching the Chinese descendant's shoulders with desperation, Ino focused on Tenten with fierce intenseness._

"_Do I know you?" _

"_Oh right! I'm Ino Yamanaka! The sole female of Team Asuma, daughter of the owner of the fine establishment right to the side of you, and the reigning village champion of bubble blowing." Ino stood back and did a triumphant pose. "Now back to the topic, are you in a hopeless yet completely enthralling love web? Oh! Or did Neji just steal your hair ties again?"_

"_I'm just having a bad day. So, could you do me a favor and not bother me?" Tenten brushed past her, grimacing with a passion. Ino blew out a frustrated breath, placing one hand on her hip and the other was pointing accusingly at the Weapon Mistress._

"_This is not how you treat your peers who are genuinely concerned for you, you psychotic panda! And it's not just you! Your entire team is dysfunctional! A bunch of lunatics!" Faster than she could comprehend, Tenten spun around, scrolls unleashed and the first wave of weapons were heading towards her. Ino panicked and told her body to move, but it wouldn't listen. Her heart started pulsing rapidly. She was going to die today. And she left her closet light on, too! Her mom was definitely going to kill her when she got home! Well, that is, if she managed to make it out of this encounter and get home._

_Seemingly out of thin air, Shikamaru swooped out and tackled her, causing them both to roll across the dirt pathway. Pushing herself up, she noticed the angry panda stomping away. But not before stopping and declaring over her shoulder, "Don't insult my team."_

_Dusting herself off, she tried to salvage what was left of her pride by shifting her unnecessary rage to Shikamaru._

"_What were you thinking? Your stupid hero complex just got dirt on my clothes! Do you know how much purple and brown clashes?" When he tried to stand up, his teammate knocked him back down. Shikamaru gave up and just stayed down, placing both hands behind his head and shuttered his eyes closed._

"_Geez. I save your life and I still get nagged. I shouldn't have bothered." A thick vein appeared on Ino's forehead while her left eye twitched. "What are you doing picking fights with Tenten anyways?"_

"_I just wanted to know what made her such a grouchy pants!" Then, she went on to describe in detail her exchange with the dual-bunned brunette, using exaggerated hand gestures to maximize the dramatic effect. They were quite the pair with him uncaringly laying on the ground and her babbling on like a maniac._

_Intending to escape to his sanctuary on the hill, he interrupted. "You've got a brain. Use it. Wouldn't want those rarely stimulated brain cells go to waste." He got up and paused. "Try not to get yourself killed. Tenten has a temper and I won't be around to save your butt. Again." Shikamaru stated in his lazy drawl. And then he flashed away before his insult could register in her mind._

"_As if I need your help!" She yelled after him, trying to defend her pride. Huffing, Ino made her way across town to Tenten's apartment. The Weapons specialist probably wouldn't even be there. But at some point, she would have to return. And Ino would be there waiting for her. She had a mystery to solve._

_Sitting in front of the door, Ino couldn't detect her chakra signature; she couldn't even feel a tiny slip of it. She didn't know how long she sat there, but she ended up falling asleep. Her head was leaned against the doorframe and her legs were tucked into her chest. Hours later, Tenten showed up, rousing the blonde awake._

"_Finally! I've been waiting forever for you!" Jumping onto her feet, Ino strided to meet the older kunoichi, only to be pinned to the wall by many, many weapons. A fuming fuinjutsu user was attempting to contain her anger. _

"_You really have a talent for pissing people off." Tenten strutted closer, twirling a kunai with her fingers. "First, you stick your nose where it doesn't belong. Next, you act like you're the fucking queen or some and mock my team. And then, you show up at my apartment. I just met you like a couple hours ago! How the hell do you know where I live?" She flicked her wrist, imbedding the kunai an inch away from Ino's neck. "Never mind. I don't care! Just stay away from me, Creep!" With all said and done, Tenten stormed off into the apartment, slamming the door._

"_Oi! Are you just gonna leave me like this? And hey! Who are you calling a creep, Buns! Oi!" Ino wailed at the top of her lungs, struggling to get free. Surprisingly, the weapons holding her up disappeared in puffs of smoke. Collapsing to the ground, she took in huge gulps of air. "You could've just said it was your time of the month!"_

_Settling down against the door again, the younger chunin sighed. She was good at a lot of things. However, being quiet wasn't a skill she possessed. Starting to sing, Ino realized she hadn't told her parents where she was. A brilliant idea popped into her head. Beginning to sing off key, she couldn't help but to pat herself on the back for her smarticles._

_A ruckus was heard down the hall, followed by a loud shout. "Shut the fuck up, woman! You sound like a dying cat! Maybe even worse!" Prompting her only to grin wider and sing louder. When the residents of the building came begging to her on their knees, she relented. But only if someone would volunteer to do a favor for her. It was to bring a message to her parents expressing her current situation and that she wouldn't be home until further notice. They should be used to these kinds of things by now._

_Immediately, many people rushed to her at once, trying to get the favor done and over with so that they could return to their normal, peaceful lives. _

_ When the message was handled, Ino had nothing better to do. She couldn't go back to singing because she made a promise, and Ino was a woman of her words. Curling up next to the door, she allowed herself to be lulled to sleep by the static hum of the air conditioner._

_ Waking up the next morning, Ino expected a scowling Tenten holding a butcher's knife to her neck. What she didn't expect was a steaming hot bowl of ramen placed in front of her accompanied by a cup of tea._

_ Yelling over her shoulder and through the door a quick thank you, the medic begin to chow down. A faint shuffling was heard and Ino had to press her ear completely against the door just to hear it._

_ "Che. I just don't want you to die. Geez. Go starve yourself in front of someone else's door. Why do these things always happen to me?" And the shuffling continued._

_ Ino smiled a smile that would even put the stars to shame. Why? Because she was getting closer to cracking Tenten. It wouldn't be long now._

_ Four days. That was how long it Tenten to finally cave in. Appearing through the doorway, she leaned against the frame with her arms crossed. Her head was tilted downward to meet the blonde's gaze._

_ "You're not going to give up, are you?" A frown marred her pretty face._

_ "Nope." Ino stood up, brushing the dirt from her clothes._

_ "Alright. I know I'm going to regret this, but come inside and I'll tell you what happened." Tenten sighed, wishing this was some sort of freakish nightmare. No such luck._

_ "Really? You will?"_

_ "Yup. But only if you apologize first."_

_ "You're kidding! I'm Ino Yamanaka!" She jutted her thumb towards herself. "I don't do apologies." _

_ "It's either an apology or the door gets slammed in your face." To emphasize her point, Tenten grabbed the door and started shutting it._

_ The mind controller snapped her hand out, halting the swing of the door. "Alright. I'll do it. You should feel honored because you are about to receive the first, last, and only apology from Ino Yamanaka." Ino gulped loudly and mentally prepared herself for the undignified act._

_ "Anytime this century would be nice. Preferably now." Tenten started tapping her foot impatiently._

_ "I'm sorry for degrading your team. There! You happy now?" She hung her head low._

_ "Quite." The brunette turned around and sauntered to the living room, a sulking Ino following close behind her._

_ Persistence was a trait Ino was known for. She was used to getting what she wanted, no questions asked. But, that day she met her match in Tenten. _

*..*..*..*..*..*

The crescent moon was still high up in the night sky. Stars speckled the black satin. Few were awake at this hour due to some unfortunate reasons. But for once, those few didn't include Tenten who was usually training at this hour. Currently, she was wrapped up in a cocoon of warm blankets. Her head was resting cozily on her fluffy pillow. All was silent and serene.

Until a loud whistle resonated through the room.

"Oi Tenten! Wake up! This is no time to be sleeping, you slacker!" Grabbing the closest appendage, Ino tried to drag her out of bed. Tried was the key word.

"Ugh…" Taking the pillow she wasn't laying on, she chucked it at Ino, hitting her square in the face. "Shut up, Loser." Pulling the blankets higher over her head, Tenten drifted back to dreamland.

"Get up, get up, get up! Stop acting like a pathetic cupcake! Up! You're such a weaksauce!" She ripped the blankets off.

"Funny." Tenten sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "That's not what your mom said last night." Yawning, she got hit by a pillow and fell back on the bed.

"I don't even know why I hang out with you!" Rummaging through her closet, she procured an overly girly outfit, something that Tenten would never wear had she been fully lucid.

"I don't know. Maybe because my awesomeness just doesn't have a limit. Or that my sense of humor far exceeds that of a regular person." Snatching the clothes out of Ino's hand, she made a beeline for the bathroom. But Ino grabbed her arm and yelled her ear off, almost literally.

"You don't have enough time for a shower! We're already late! Now get your ass changed!" Pushing her into the closet to change, Ino started clicking her tongue in impatience.

"Where are we going anyways?" Her usual melodious voce was muffled through the door.

"Where else? To the once-in-a-lifetime sale at Hizari's Boutique!" She exclaimed vigorously, already imagining the fabulous clothes she was going to buy at a bargain.

"Didn't they just have a sale last week?"

"Details, details! I don't concern myself with them. All I know is that the store has a sale, and if there's a sale I'll be there. Which means you have to be there, too!" Emerging from the storage space, Tenten started putting her hair up in its signature buns.

"And why do I have to go?" Tying the last bun into place, she turned her attention to Ino who was leaning by the door.

"Because you need more friends from the female population! You have like three girl friends."

"I have four."

"Again with the details! Nobody cares! Now let's go! We have to get a good spot in line!" She bounded out of the apartment with a sleep-deprived and reluctant Tenten behind her.

When they got there, there was already a hive of teenage girls huddling in front of the store. There were sleeping bags and tents surrounding the store. The sky was still dominated by the moon. And the sun showed no signs of rising soon.

"What time is it, Ino?" Trailing after the girl clad in purple, Tenten scowled at the absurdness of the situation. The renowned Weapon Mistress was going to wait in line like a stupid daffodil this early in the morning for some stinking sale.

Ino searched side to side for an escape route. "A little past three."

"And when does the boutique open?" Tenten inquired in an eerily sweet voice.

She gulped loudly before answering. "At eight."

"Why the hell did you wake me this early?" Rampaging, Tenten already had her kunais out and aimed at the offending person.

"Like I said, you have to socialize more!"

"Do I look like I want to socialize?"

"Well, no. You look like you want to murder someone, but that would unacceptable in today's society that is attempting to pound good morals into the future generations."

"I'm going to get coffee." Putting her weapons away, Tenten swiftly turned around and waved over her shoulder.

"But-!"

"I'll be back. Later." And with that, she walked off in the direction she came from, completely aware that the only twenty-four hour coffee shop was the other way.

Four hours later, she returned with a toasty cup of coffee and was back in her regular training attire, but the scowl was still there.

"You went home to sleep, didn't you?" Ino was wearing an identical expression and had both hands on her hips.

"You know me so well."

"I can't believe you would abandon a friend like that at a crucial moment like this!" She started pacing around vividly.

"In the wise words of Naruto: Believe it." Tenten took a long swig of coffee, letting the hot liquid trickled down her throat. "And plus, it's not like you did anything productive here anyways. I don't see the problem."

"As a matter of fact, I did do something useful! I got you a new friend!"

"Oh joy. I'm just bursting with excitement."

"You should be! Look, there she is in the pink skirt. Her name's Takumi." Her demeanor did a one-eighty. She was jumping up and down animatedly while pointing at said girl. "Now, she's not a shinobi like us, but her family owns a bakery. And I know how much you love pastries!"

Tenten looked to the direction Ino was pointing towards and an expression of disgust overtook her face. "You mean the one in the pink skirt covered from head to toe with sparkles that's glaring daggers at me?"

"Yes…but that's because _you're_ glaring at her!" Defending her fellow shopper extraordinaire, Ino started jabbing her finger repeatedly into Tenten's shoulder.

"No I'm not. I'm staring at her coolly with nonchalance like a badass thug." Tenten crossed her arms.

"I just-I don't know what to do with you anymore." Ino turned around and waved the girl over. Once she saw Ino, she plastered a grin and strutted over. She gave Tenten a dirty look. "Tenten, this is Takumi. Takumi, Tenten."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Takumi spoke in a high pitch that grated on the ears. Her smile was a little too wide for her face, exploiting her fakeness even more.

"That makes one of us." Unlike the other, Tenten wasn't going to pretend to have some sort of respect for her.

"Tenten!" She received a punch to the shoulder, courtesy of Ino. "Be nice!"

"Oh, it's okay Ino-chan! I'm sure Tenten is just jealous because she'll never be as pretty as me!" She flipped her poorly, dyed blonde hair over her shoulders. "You can admit it, Tenten. You'll never be better than me; you'll never be good enough for Neji."

"Hey Takumi-bitch, I suggest you get the fuck away from me or I will rip out your extensions." The girl ran away, clutching her precious hair.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Tenten!" Ino started scolding the older girl, but Tenten, who was well used to it, barely listened to a word she said. "I expected a punch, at least! No one gets to mock you like that!" She brought up her fist to prove the point.

Not expecting that reaction, Tenten let the rare look of surprise cross her face. "You're the one that told me to be nice."

"Whatever!" She crossed her arms and looked to the store. "It's opening! Let's get to the front!"

Tenten looked ahead, where there were people trampling over each other. Some were on the ground, not moving. And others were clutching their wounded body parts. Taking a deep breath, she built her resolve and clutched her coffee cup tighter. "Alright. Let's blow this popsicle stand." They pushed and shoved and elbowed to get to the front. "I swear. I'm never doing this again!"

The doors opened and everyone poured in. Some were grabbing articles of clothing randomly, while others were going for each other's throats for one accessory. Tenten just stood in the corner where it was safe. In the corner of her eyes, she spied Ino wrestling with a redhead over a red, sequined cocktail dress. The blonde took a heel from a nearby shelf and started banging it on the red's head. Tenten whistled low.

"Shit just got real." And chuckled despite the gruesome situation.

Tenten was never meant to indulge in the shopper's lifestyle. And Ino wasn't supposed to be training for extended hours. But, with a little persistence and positive influence, their lives intermingled and could no longer be separated.

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-Neji'sGirl185


	12. Itachi: Mysterious

**A/N: **Hey readers, here's the next chapter! How many of you saw this coming? :) It's pretty epic, I think. I totally love this guy and many thanks to **Introverted-Verses** who planted this idea in my head a long time ago :D Well, he might be quite out of character since this chapter is kind of mushy. But I like it :)

Special youth-filled thanks go out to all the recent reviewers, favoriters, and alerters! **FruitySmell, Introverted-Verses, JaylaKahoonaLagoona, xBitterSweetDreamsx, Lovelychibi7, OasisSerenity, TheResistance5, **and **jasmineflowr19876!**

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong><span>Best Buds<span>**

***-Itachi Uchiha-***

_Itachi Uchiha had always been a mysterious man. No one really knew what was going through his head. His face was always a composed, emotionless mask. Everything about him was calculated and controlled__—his temper, his actions, his feelings. There are only a handful of fortunates who have ever witnessed the true Itachi. And one of them was Tenten. _

_The first time he talked to her, he was insulted in epic proportions. Less than 24 hours until his mission and Itachi was at the point substantially past mental breakdowns. Calling the mission tremendously hazardous would be the understatement of the year. Being able to survive was the hardest part of the mission. But, if he were to pull it off, he would go down in history and bring pride and recognition to his clan. The rewards were great, but not so much the apprehension. So, Itachi did what he always does when he's nervous. He ate Pocky. _

_ Already having depleted his own supply a few weeks ago, he scavenged through his brother's secret stash. Somehow, the little rascal always got his hands on the best Pocky. But that day, Sasuke had run out as well. What good was a brother if they didn't have Pocky? Truly, the clan had to make a new law concerning that issue. Nonetheless, Itachi still felt anxious. And something had to be done about that silly emotion. Unfalteringly, Itachi hit the local markets._

_ Sauntering through the pathways, he searched for the enticing chocolate sticks, but they were nowhere to be found. Everywhere he went, he was met with solemn faces and half sincere apologies. It was like National Piss-Off-Itachi Day or something. All he wanted was a stupid, measly box of Pocky. _

_ Itachi plopped down on the dirt encrusted curb of some random street. He didn't really care that the germ-filled particles were now clinging to his clothes. Or that he looked like the most pathetic person ever to roam Konoha. Not even that he had already wasted several hours. Itachi had nothing else to lose. He had half a mind to journey to Suna. But then, that would be unnecessarily ridiculousness. And the Elders frowned down on that kind of stuff. Not that they smiled much in the first place. But when Itachi thought that all hope was lost, he spied a young girl with two buns on her head walk out of a shop. But it was not the adorable hairstyle that caught his attention. It was the object in her hands: two cardboard containers of the popular Japanese treat known as Pocky._

_Rushing into the shop, he demanded eagerly__—__for a man his caliber__—__for Pocky. The humble, life-worn shop owner just gave a remorseful expression and kindly denied him. "Sorry, young man. I just sold the last boxes to a little girl. A cute one, she was. But if you come back in three days, I'll have some more."_

_ "No need. I'll probably be dead by then." Ambling to the door with his hands in his pocket, Itachi let the depressing tone into his voice._

_ "Teenagers these days," the elder mumbled and shook his head, "When they don't get what they want, they immediately resort to suicide." Ignoring the ramblings of the store owner, Itachi strutted out and perched himself on the ground again. Gazing up at the sky, he silently cursed whoever decided to put this ill-fated life on him. Must he continue on with this Pockyless state?_

_Returning back to earth, he noticed the same little girl standing not even ten feet from him. A much appreciated light bulb flashed in his head._

_ Stalking up to the little girl, he put his best smile on. Itachi sincerely hoped he didn't look too much like a creeper. He checked his himself in a nearby shop window. Oh well. As long as he got his Pocky._

_ "Hello, little girl. I see you have two boxes of the sugar-filled treats. Would you please, pretty please," pausing, Itachi stretched his smile even wider, "Give me one?"_

_ "Why?" The little girl raised her eyebrows at him and stared at him skeptically. Her little mouth was downturned in a frown._

_ "Because I want one. Why else? Anyways, I'll even give you money for it. Then, you could go buy those miniature dolls that most girls today are infatuated with. What do you say, little girl?"_

_She scrunched up her face in disgust. "I hate dolls."_

_ Itachi quizzically stared at her and tried a different approach. "Or how about if I told you that I was Itachi Uchiha, and I do mean The Itachi Uchiha, and was in dire need of said snacks, would you hand it to me?"_

_ "No." The girl crossed her arms and stubbornly refused him once again._

_ "Why not?" His rare grin quickly turned into rarer pout. _

_ "Because my nii-san says you're a butthead who thinks you're all cool and crap just because you have tomato spinny thingys in your eyes." The infuriating scrutiny from her stirred an almost forgotten animosity in him._

_ "Little girl," Itachi reigned in his temper, "First off, I am plenty cool. I'm probably__—no wait I'm most definitely__ the coolest person you will ever meet in your lifetime. Second," he held up two fingers, "The things in my eyes are called tomoe, not tomato. Tomatoes are fruits. And lastly, you're brother's the butthead!"_

"_Don't insult my nii-san, Dork." She narrowed her eyes and crinkled her eyebrows together._

_Placing a hand to his forehead in a searching gesture, Itachi swiveled from side to side dramatically. "Oh. I didn't see the sign that said, 'Don't mess with little munchkins' brothers anywhere."_

_ "Come at me, bro." With her arms outstretched and face full of fury, the child was the image of intimidation._

_ "Who's your brother anyways, little girl?" Itachi brushed off her aggression and analyzed her brown eyes and matching hair. _

_ "You don't even know your mission partner?" She stared at him with incredulity while trying very hard to keep the venom out of her voice. _

_ "You're Kakashi Hatake's sister?" Disbelief surged into his normally flat voice._

_ "No, I'm obviously his brother."_

_ "Little girl, you are wearing down my patience." He pinched the bridge of his nose, although it never did helped his headaches. It was his turn to look at her incredulously. "I didn't know Kakashi had a sister."_

_ Putting her hands in her pockets, the girl gave him a bored expression and that was when he saw the family resemblance. "That's because you're lame." _

_ "I am not lame! I am the famed Prodigy of the Uchiha clan! Lame isn't even a word I know!" After realizing his unusual outburst, Itachi tried to compose himself by straightening his clothes and brushing off the non-existent dust. "Sorry. For a second there, I lost my cool."_

_ "You can't lose something you never had."_

_ "You know what, little girl? Shut up. " Itachi glared at her with his onyx orbs._

_ "Alright, Tachi-chan. As fun as this is, I have to go. Otherwise people will get worried. See ya!" Sprinting away, the girl turned to look over her should and waved. "And my name is Tenten!"_

_ "But my Pocky!" Calling back to her, Itachi was only met with the whistle of the leaves._

_ Walking dejectedly back to the compound, Itachi could only wallow in self loathing. Kicking pebbles along the way, his mind kept straying to the girl. She had a strange name and didn't look anything like Kakashi. But then again, Kakashi never showed much of his face anyways, so Itachi couldn't really be sure of anything._

_ By the time he got home, it was already way past sunset and there were numerous stars dotting the sky. Immediately heading to bed, Itachi felt the day's frustration finally take its toll on him. But for the life of him, he couldn't go to sleep. When sleep finally claimed him, it was in the early hours of the morning. His mind was full of stress and his stomach was empty and Pockyless. _

_ After waking up, he felt no better. Certainly, it really didn't matter what he felt like since he was going to die anyways. With that depressing mindset, Itachi grabbed his gear and begrudgingly headed out the door. Trudging to the gates, he noticed his mission partner was already there leaning nonchalantly against the wall. Firm nods were exchanged._

_ "Uchiha."_

_ "Hatake."_

_ "I heard you met my sister yesterday." Kakashi lazily gazed at the other prodigy, his face a mask of boredom._

_ Taken surprise by the statement, Itachi whirled around and stared straight back with poorly disguised amusement and a hint of maliciousness. "Indeed. I heard you think I'm a butthead."_

_ Kakashi's eye crinkled in mirth. "Indeed." Reaching into one of his many pockets, Kakashi pulled out a brightly wrapped package. "Ah. This is for you."_

_ Gingerly taking the package, Itachi read the note sloppily scrawled on the top. "To Tachi-chan, the lamest guy I know. Good luck on your mission. (P.S. Don't die.) –Tenten" A smile flittered across his face. Tearing the package open with care, Itachi found an unopened box of Pocky. His grin widened even further._

_ "Dork." Looking up at Kakashi's knowing gaze, Itachi couldn't suppress the goofy smirk he had._

_ "I'll be sure to thank her when we get back." And with that, they both flashed away from the village and into the clutches of danger._

_ Kakashi didn't question Itachi's confidence. And Tenten didn't question his motives when Itachi showed up one week later with a kunai set. They both knew he was mysterious like that._

***..*..*..*..*..***

Shrouds of darkness engulfed him. In this unlit prison, truths were no different from lies. The silence sliced through his skin like knives. His heart hammered dully in his chest. Excruciating pain struck him from within. Sitting there in the confines of the building was torture to Itachi. A sudden beam of light permeated through the darkened shadows. Left in its wake was a tall and slender silhouette.

"Itachi?" Lights flickered on, revealing a young woman, who was no longer a little girl, standing in the doorway with a grocery bag in hand and two buns on her head.

"Happy Birthday." Itachi stood up from the couch and reveled in the use of his limbs again. He had been sitting there for a while. He was a doer. And doers did things. Having to sit and wait was absolutely torture to him.

Quirking an eyebrow, Tenten closed the door and walked to the kitchen. "It's not my birthday."

"Well, it's gotta be someone's birthday today." Itachi followed in after her and lodged himself in a barstool, resting his forearms on the kitchen island.

"You do realize how dangerous it is for you to keep sneaking in and out of Konoha, right?" She plopped her hands on her hips.

"Food," he looked her straight in the eye. "I need food." As if on cue, his stomach rumbled again.

"Why don't you just go steal food? You're in the Akatsuki! Aren't you like skilled in the arts of evil?" Starting to put the groceries away, Tenten questioningly stared at Itachi.

"Yes, of course I could. But that doesn't mean I steal for funsies. That's completely degrading to a person at my level." He didn't miss the roll of her eyes.

"Oh sure, but kidnapping isn't?" A smirk was casually thrown in.

"Woman, are you going to give me sustenance or not?"

"I'd rather not." She crossed her arms and leaned against the countertop.

"And I'd rather have lobster, or steak, or caviar."

"I have chicken nuggets."

Itachi stood up straight and glared heatedly at Tenten. "Chicken nuggets. Chicken nuggets!? I am Itachi Uchiha, the Uchiha Prodigy, one of the last Uchihas, the youngest ANBU member ever, and the possessor of the Mangekyo Sharingan. I will not be reduced down to the level of eating chicken nuggets!"

"They're shaped like dinosaurs."

"Where's the ketchup?" Itachi began trotting around the kitchen while opening cabinets and drawers. "You keep the red condiment in your fridge, yes?" Not waiting for her answer, yanked the appliance door open and retrieved the bottle.

Ripping the plastic bag open, Tenten couldn't help but to shake her head at his childish antics. "Do you want four or five?"

"The entire bag would be preferable." Handing her a tray and a plate, Itachi was gazing at her with extreme seriousness.

"Fine." Dumping the entire bag onto a tray, she stuck it into the oven to bake.

"How long must one wait for chicken nuggets?" Itachi scratched his chin in thought while staring intently at the baking contraption.

"A while." Tenten procured a jug of orange juice and chugged it down.

"Could you be a little more specific?"

"No." Screwing the lid back on, she placed the carton back into the fridge.

"Bitch." He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Do remember that I am a Weapon's Mistress and you are currently surrounded by multiple weapons, all of which I have completely mastered." This was uttered with utmost calmness, chilling Itachi to the bone.

Looking up and gulping, he replied in a defeated manner. "I'll do my best to remember."

"Much appreciated." They both lapsed into a comfortable silence. Standing there, the two relished each other's presence, but refused to admit it.

A ding resonated through the kitchen, signally the completion of the baking. Adorning an oven mitt, Tenten open the kitchen appliance and procured the tray of chicken nuggets. Unceremoniously plunking it on the plate, she shoved the nuggets of chicken towards Itachi.

"Thank you." Squirting an unreasonable amount of ketchup on his plate, Itachi went to sit back down in his chair.

"You're welcome." Tenten began to wash the tray.

Itachi placed the plate on the counter and began to consume his food. After munching down on three dinosaurs, he declared, "Rawr. Fear me you weak reptiles." And took off the head of some poor, unaware T-Rex.

Tenten chuckled at the paradoxical sight. "I feel like I'll never be able to understand you."

He nodded his head once. "Good."

"You're so messed up." She rolled her eyes amicably.

"Don't act like you're not, obsessor of sharp and pointy things." Tenten stuck her tongue out and Itachi stuck his right back. They ended up cracking up moments later and soon returned to their previous activities. Tenten was finishing up the dishes. And Itachi continued to make sound effects.

Drying her hands, Tenten sat next to him and clasped her hands in front of her. She peered at Itachi for a while, taking in his handsomeness. "Hey Itachi, are the Akatsuki going to keep chasing after Naruto?" Tenten spoke up after a period of ogling.

"That's classified information." He refused to meet her eyes, but ultimately failed.

She took that opportunity to execute her puppy dog eyes. "Tell me, please. I want to know."

"You don't need to know because it's matters not. Either way, the Akatsuki does not have the capabilities to pursue the Kyuubi any longer." Wiping his hands and mouth with a napkin, Itachi focused all of his attention on the Weapon's Mistress.

Sighing in relief, Tenten allowed herself to feel contentment. "That's good to hear."

"Whatever gets you to sleep at night."

"And Sasuke?" A smidge of hope snuck its way into her voice.

"You are just full of questions tonight, aren't you?" Looking at her from head to toe, Itachi examined her as it she was possessed.

He watched in distress as water began to fill her eyes, something he knew never happened often. Tenten clenched and unclenched her fists. "I can't help it! Why do you always leave?" Her voice started out like a booming thunderstorm, but quickly diminished to a pitch barely above a whisper. "Why can't you just stay?" A lone tear cascaded down her cheek. Pain clawed mercilessly at his chest.

"And it's not like I can help it either when I have to leave." Taking his thumb, he wiped the salty liquid off, which only caused more to fall.

"I miss you, though." Tenten closed her eyes and turned away.

"I know. I miss you, too." He cupped her face gently between his hands and brought her close to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist. Itachi and Tenten just stayed briefly before Itachi pulled away. "I will now take my leave. Kisame will be wondering. Thank you for your company."

"Can't you stay?" Tear tracks marred her beauty, and yet, enhanced it as well. All he wanted to do was to run back into her arms and stay there for all eternity, but he couldn't. She did not belong to him. Therefore, he had no right to be causing her pointless pain. He had to control his selfishness.

"I wish I could." Silently, he conveyed his apologies, his unspoken words, and pleaded for forgiveness, hoping she would understand.

"Then this is goodbye?"

"Yes. This will also be the last time we'll meet." Itachi pulled her into a tight, bitter hug. "The next time you see me, I will be a corpse and Sasuke will be the avenger." Like the wind that shifted so brutally and cruelly fast, Itachi left.

"Wait, Itachi! What do you mean?!" Tenten screamed hysterically after him, but he was already long gone. The only evidence of his visit was a single Pocky box on the countertop.

The swirls of mystery were Itachi's armor. He used it to ward off others to keep them and himself protected. They did not need to be involved with someone like him. But, Tenten had always been able to see past that armor and into his soul.

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><p>Do you like it?<p>

Review :)

-Neji'sGirl185


	13. Kiba: Nosey

**A/N: **Hey, long time no see? Surprise? Yeah...I really am sorry for not updating in such a long time. But thanks to **Lovelychibi7** and all readers who reviewed, favorited, and/or alerted, I got my butt in gear. So hopefully, this kind of laziness won't happen again. But, if it does, please feel free to send me a strongly worded PM. In fact, it is highly encouraged :) I'll try to update more frequently from now on.

A big Nejilicious thank you to all reviewers, favoriters, and alerters! **Introverted-Verses, DarkAnonymous324, fashionablysteverogers, xBitterSweetDreamsx, Cm, Animefangirl95, fruitysmell, Dreaming101, OasisSerenity, TheResistance5, xxxMysteryGirlxxx, pusa. is. me, Leia -san, XxAnime Girl 123xX, lelah-t, Tsuki-chama, LonelyAsura, **and **Wish. promise****. 99!**

And obviously, thank you to all the readers who still actually read this story! :)

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong><span>Best Buds<span>  
><strong>

***-Kiba Inuzuka-***

_Kiba Inuzuka had been nosey since birth, pun intended. He insistently involved himself in matters that never really concerned him. It was his habit. One would think that after receiving so many lectures and beatings Kiba would reassess himself and change for the better. However, that was not the case. He kept being that stubborn little booger—the one that always huddle around the corner pressing his wax-filled ear to the wall. And when he was told that curiosity killed the cat, he laughed it off and called his antagonists a tragic tale of incurable stupidity. Because, obviously, Kiba was a dog person. After meeting Tenten, though, he no longer possessed the ability to simply laugh it off. _

_ The first time he talked to her, Kiba was caught in the act of stalking. His day had started out ironically innocent. Kiba was visiting a bedridden Hinata. The guards refused him entrance the night before, claiming indecency of arriving so late in the night. It was probably only seven at night and he wanted to gouge their snooty eyes with a rusty spoon. Since blood stains take forever and a half to get out and he was unfortunately out of spoons, Kiba retaliated by being at the gates before the sun had even risen and may have or may have not tripped the guards on his way in. However, from the moment his foot made contact with the rich, oak floor of the compound, Kiba was on a downward spiral that would bring out his inner creepiness. _

_Kiba uninterestedly dragged the wooden chair across the hardwood floor and settled it beside Hinata's bed. Slowly easing himself down in the chair beside her bed, he hunched over with his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. Out of habit, Akamaru was tucked securely underneath his jacket. Suddenly, he looked much older than a man with sixteen years under his belt. Despite his nonchalant attitude, a flurry of contained emotions raged on under his guise. The only thing that would hint at his distraught emotional state was his eyes. They reflected the words that always lingered on his lips—the vulnerability of a man that has suffered significantly from an unrequited love._

_Hinata twidled her thumbs and avoided eye contact as often as she could, instead choosing to look everywhere but at him. Occasionally, she would scrunch up the blanket in her hands, only to smooth it out again. Kiba leaned back against the chair, propping both his feet on the bed. With arms crossed, he stared at Hinata in a silent taunt, successfully stowing his annoying emotions away._

_ "I told you so." An automatic, condescending smirk tore its way across his face. Those four words reverberated in the tense atmosphere and shook the girl out of her stupor. For a moment, their eyes met. As Kiba lost himself in the mesmerizing shades of lavender, he hoped she felt the tingling sensations as well. Hinata ended up looking away first. Disappointment seeped its way into his heart. "You should've gone inside like I told you to." He breathed out, his voice deprived of its usual exuberance. The white pup barked in agreement. Its presence was duly noted, but was essentially ignored._

"_I know. But I had to make sure Naruto-kun was safe." Hinata uttered defiantly. Her words unconsciously sliced through him in an excruciating manner, inflicting more damage to his already shredded heart._

_Kiba scoffed, brushing off the ripples of pain. "That idiot's fine. Who told him to go train in the rain anyways?" He dropped his legs back to the ground and regarded her in a jaunty fashion. "Next, I bet he'll start wearing green spandex!" Chuckling softly to himself, Kiba ducked his head, shielding his faltering smile._

"_Kiba-kun!" Hinata pleaded softly._

"_I'm just messing with you." He stood up and ruffled her hair affectionately. "We all know it's going to be orange instead." _

"_Kiba-kun!"_

"_Next time," Kiba blatantly waved off her outburst, "don't directly stand in the pelting rain to watch him. Go under a roof or bring an umbrella. That's just some basic common sense right there. And I can't believe Hyugas claim to be this awesome, completely badass family, but don't own a single, functional umbrella. Like what else are you going to do with all that money? Make origami cranes? Or see how many bills you can shove up your nose?" Puffing out a frustrated sigh, Kiba felt guilty witnessing Hinata's embarrassment. "Nevermind. Just focus on getting better, okay?" With a charismatic smile sent towards Hinata, Kiba sauntered to the door. _

_Once in front of it, he hesitated. For a brief second, he entertained his selfish fantasies and pretended that he was the instigation of her illness, the one she stood in the relentless rain for hours upon hours because of. Instead of the warm contentedness that usually followed, a pounding ache resonated in him, bouncing off his weary spirit and leaving not a single part of him out of its destructive path. He was tempted to turn around and spill out the words burning in his throat. When he began to part his lips, Akamaru's insistent barks broke him from his thoughts and shattered his resolve. The desires buried deep in him would have to wait. With that in mind, he strained a smile, almost fooling himself. _

_Kiba slipped his fingers through the slit of an opening, grasping the edge of the shoji door. Pushing with relative ease, the high quality screen with intricate cherry blossoms slid completely open. After stepping out into the corridor, Kiba softly shut the barrier closed. Lifting his eyes up, he was met with a peculiar sight._

_A girl, looking suspiciously cautious, was exiting the room directly across the hall. On her tiptoes with her back towards Kiba, she delicately closed the door at a deliberately slow pace to avoid making a single sound. Presented with the opportunity, Kiba scrutinized her with interest. She was draped in clothes that seemed to not belong to her. The shirt was oversized and dangled provocatively off her shoulders, exposing a good amount of sun-kissed skin. What he assumed were shorts were baggy and extended past the knees. It made her look like a misplaced pirate. On the contrary, most pirates didn't have nice hair that cascaded down their backs in rich, chocolate waves. Or nice hair in general. _

_Peering left and right, the girl seemed to be unaware of his presence. That is until she turned around. Shifting her gaze to the other occupant of the hallway, Kiba found himself intrigued by the orbs of amber with flickers of gold. _

_The mysterious girl let out a squeak and scurried down the left hallway as fast as possible without a single backwards glance. Kiba chortled raucously in amusement while he started trekking in the opposite direction. He stopped in mid-stride as a vital realization struck him hard like a hangover on the next day. Neji lived across the hall from Hinata._

_That epiphany forced Kiba to choke on his spit, startling Akamaru. He brought up a fist and pounded it against his chest multiple times. It was like he was having a lifetimes worth of panic attacks all in the same moment. Resting his forehead against the wall for support, he kept his hand over his heart, trying to regulate its beating._

"_A-a-a girl! There…there was girl! ...In-In Neji's room! There was a girl in Neji's room!" Kiba paused shortly to think back to that moment. "And she was cute!" Kiba clutched his hair and paced in a psychotic fashion, mumbling incoherent things. Akamaru sent him a dumbfounded look, as if daring him to be any more idiotic. The challenge was accepted._

_Unexpectedly, Kiba swiveled on his heels. Walking back in the other direction, his detective impulses guided him. Ignoring the displeased and reprimanding bark, Kiba trailed after the girl by tapping into his nose's appraised abilities to trace her surprising earth and metallic scent. After a couple twists and turns, admittedly, Kiba was lost. Scratching his head in confusion, Kiba fished for pity from Akamaru. He acquired none._

"_I swear I've seen that wall before." He pointed to a wall with no distinguishable features—no dents, scratches, or even a picture tacked to it. What he failed to notice was that each wall was exactly identical to each other. If Akamaru could, he would've facepalmed himself over a hundred times by now. _

_Continuing on, Kiba could only rely on his hypersensitive nose. When he encountered a dead end, he conceded mentally and tried to retrace his steps, but in actuality, he was choosing paths at random. Abruptly, he stopped in front of a door left slightly ajar. Kiba took a big whiff and exhaled dreamily._

"_Mmm…smells like heaven…and bacon." Stealthily squeezing himself through the cracked opening, he was zealously stunned to find Neji's woman there. She was admiring the famed gardens through the pristine kitchen windows while munching on crispy, tongue-tingling bacon with some other unimportant assortment of breakfast delicacies he never cared to remember the names of. _

_Temporarily distracted from his distraction, Kiba inspected her meticulously. There seemed to be no physical abnormalities, no third leg, webbed hands, or tattoos of quadricorns. That could be considered a good thing. But, there was a possibility that she could have the same emotional capacity as Neji, which means there was a legitimate chance that the next generation could be infested with good-looking ice cubes. _

_Mentally panicking, Kiba began to convolute strategies to break the two up. Halfway through his foolproof plan, his attention was diverted again when his eyes roved over the sizzling bacon. Inhibitions forgotten, as well as tact, Kiba settled down closely next to her, invading her personal bubble, and leaned over her should obnoxiously._

"_Can I have some?" He whispered spookily. She let out a startled gasp and clutched onto the object closest to her—the butter tray—and started bashing blows to his face. "Ahh stop!" He raised his arms for protection, armadillo style. "You could've just said you didn't want to share!" Akamaru let out a series of pleading barks which enraptured the girl's attention. _

"_I didn't know you had a dog!" The object fell to the ground with a clang as she rushed over to Kiba's side. Carefully, she pulled Akamaru out and cradled him to the chest. "Are you hurt anywhere?" She said with the silkiest voice he had ever heard. Gaping in disbelief, Kiba stared at her in bewilderment. _

"_You just tried to kill me, and you're now asking my dog, of all people, if he's okay?" He scrunched his eyebrows together in frustration. "Like, what the hell?!"_

"_First of all, I wasn't trying to kill you. I was trying to render you unconscious—paralysis, at worst." Spoken with an air of nonchalance, her sole focus was on Akamaru._

"_That," Kiba stood up and clamped a hand to his heart in feigned gratitude, "makes me feel so much better." _

"_You should. I could've killed you if I wanted." She scratched Akamaru behind the ears. Lucky bastard._

"_Che. As if you could!" Momentarily forgetting that he just received a humiliating beating, he smirked at her cockily. She glared at him murderously. _

"_I have perfect accuracy, carry about a hundreds of weapons on me at all times, I could probably run faster than you, and I train with Neji Hyuga, yes the Neji Hyuga, daily. Do you doubt my abilities, punk?" It took quite a while for the information to register in his head. But when it did, Kiba jumped up with vivacity._

"_You're Bun-Bun-san!" He cheerfully pointed a finger at her. Kiba definitely won the bet and Naruto so owed him money._

"_What did you just call me?" Tenten stoop up with such calmness, it was eerie. Akamaru was nestled in her arms quite cozily, oblivious to his master's accelerated approach to demise. "Do you have a death wish?" Forced through gritted teeth, she looked like those evil villains from the movies, stroking her pet wickedly. Except, Tenten didn't have a vision disability in one eye, and it was not even her dog._

"_Sun-Sun-san!" He waved his arms in front of him harmlessly. "I said Sun-Sun-san because you light up my life like the sun! Especially with your pretty eyes and hair!" Reaching out, Kiba started caressing her soft hair with his fingers awkwardly until a familiar throat clearing sent chills down his spine. Kiba instantly felt like he was dumped into Snow Country with only his underwear on. Unable to come up with neither an excuse nor an escape plan, Kiba remained frozen like a statue in his compromising position._

_Neji marched up languidly to Kiba and pulled Tenten from his grasp. He grabbed her by the shoulder with gentleness and escorted her towards the door. "You're sick. You should be resting, not loitering around with some delinquent." He spoke to her with an eerily calm voice, a voice that was not even rumored to exist._

"_And whose fault is that? Who made me train with him in the rain?" Tenten stubbornly challenged him. Kiba envied her boldness. "I'm fin—"_

"_Bed," Neji cut her off. "Now." He said it with such finality that Kiba almost released some undesirable liquid his pants. She hurriedly scooted out of the room, bacon forgotten. As if he finally remembered that she had Akamaru, he made a move to follow her when Neji spoke up again._

"_And you," Kiba felt himself visibly shaking. "Just because you're frozen doesn't mean I can't see you." Slowly, Kiba turned his head to face Neji, who had his eyes closed and his arms crossed. There was a definite crease between his eyebrows. The shaking got worse and traveled to his knees. "Prepare to die." _

"_D-d-d-die?!" Desperately, he looked for all possible exits. There was only one, and it was by Neji. Indeed, he was so dead._

"_For meddling in my business and for touching what is mine, prepare to die." With that, Kiba didn't even have the time to point out that Neji had just spoken the longest sentence he ever heard because Neji had opened his eyes, revealing his activated Byakugan and crouched down into his infamous stance. "I will give you a three second head start. Go." But Kiba was already through the door and halfway to his house._

_Nosiness and curiosity may have only killed the cat, but it came awfully close to killing the dog, too._

*..*..*..*..*..*

Kiba sat comfortably in a local bar in Iwagakure. Although it was very desolate, considering that most of the population was out training, it still had a cozy, home feeling to it. The village's lack of lollygagging inhabitants was what attracted him in the first place. He staggeringly needed a vacation; somewhere he could go where he could step back from being a zestful, supporting best friend. Because to be honest, it was an exhausting role. More tiring than that one day he was forced to train with Team Gai.

Kiba raised the shot glass to his lips and tipped the tequila into his mouth as two blurs of green whirled around in his mind. The brown liquid trickled down his throat. Instead of confronting his problems like the man he claimed to be, he scampered when presented with a chance.

He had always known that Hinata loved Naruto. Heck, Kiba was the one who found out and told the dense blonde. But, after every taunt and tease, against his better judgment, he would hope beyond all hope that what she felt for the blonde knucklehead would only be and insignificant fling. And that one day she would turn around and realize there was a real man who was always waiting for her. But, she never did, and his hopeful wishes that helped him through the day would only be just wishes. Now, the happy couple was planning their upcoming marriage and future together, where he was in a lonesome bar some hundred miles away drowning himself in an alcohol infested drink.

Waving the bartender over for another bottle, the dim lights reflected his hand. He lifted it higher and inspected it carefully, turning it in all directions. Somewhere inside him his heart constricted. Hinata's fingers would've fit perfectly between the gaps of his. She would've filled all the voids in him. "What screws us up most in life is the picture in our heads of how it's supposed to be."

Haphazardly, he poured the alcohol into the glass with his spotty aim. Taking the now full glass, he chugged it down in one go. "The best friend was supposed to win," he spoke solemnly. "Not the stupid, immature crush." Another shot of alcohol was consumed as well as many more. A brief picture of pale eyed kids with red markings on their faces flashed through his mind. "Aargh!" Kiba slammed the shot glass down in frustration with his forsaken fate and his lack of action. Great. He was sounding all angsty like Neji again.

Anger was only a temporary feeling. Sadness and disappointment, however, dawdled. "Just this once," he spoke to no one in particular. "Just let me have this one moment to feel sorry for myself." Kiba soon lost count of the number of shots he drank.

A bell chimed, signaling the entrance of new patrons and disrupted his musings. Kiba couldn't help but to shift his eyes to the newcomers. When he did, he almost spit out his drink humorously. A man, somewhere in his 20's was giggling like a little school girl. No, that wasn't the scary part. The shocking part was the girl hanging on his arm. From a distance, he swore she looked like Tenten. Well, except for the fact that the customary buns had disappeared for the night and were replaced with the long tresses that he had only caught a glimpse of once in his life.

He couldn't believe it. Kiba squinted his eyes harder. Shaking his head, he brought up a palm and placed it over his eye, applying pressure. Had the alcohol taken its effects already? Was he so far gone that his pitiful mind had conjured up illusions to comfort his weary spirit? If so, then why was it a mirage of Tenten? It should've been someone much cooler, like a wizard or something.

Too worn to think further, Kiba slumped over the counter. Defeated, he set both arms on the table. One was propped up so his head could lean into the calloused hand while the other hand fingered the shot glass, contemplation etched on his features. He brought the small glass to his lips and swallowed the bitter liquid once again.

Two figures strutted up to the counter as he slammed the glass down. Their startled eyes came to meet his unfocused ones. When panic streaked through the familiar chocolate orbs, Kiba's suspicions were confirmed. As he inspected the male, a growl formed at the base of his throat. He was definitely not Neji. What was going on here?

The man quickly averted his eyes and ordered two drinks. The weaksauceness was strong in this one. Feeling the tension, Tenten started distracting the man with meaningless whispers and began to trail her fingers up and down his arm. Their lighthearted chuckles filled the tense atmosphere. Kiba sent, what he hoped was, a disapproving glare. For all he knew, he could've sent her a constipated face.

"Excuse me for a moment, Akuya-kun." Tenten delicately broke out of his embrace and made way towards the restrooms.

"Hurry back." He blew a kiss at her and Kiba felt nauseous at the overly cute display of affection. Tenten winked over her shoulders coyly.

The man called Akuya turned around and noticed Kiba's intense stare. He flashed Kiba a cocky smirk. "She's a hot one, isn't she?" His personality had completely changed 180 degrees. Kiba wouldn't have believed the dramatic shift had he not witnessed it himself.

As if he had suddenly grown a pair, Akuya slid over to Kiba and tossed an arm around the brooding man's shoulders. "A solid nine, I'd say." Akuya laughed gleefully. "I'm getting lucky tonight."

Anyone could've looked over at the two and mistake them for best friends. The truth was far from that. One male was bragging about his prize while the other silently conjured up with at least a thousand ways to kill the bragger with just his shot glass.

"What?" The glass wedged in his hand was grasped to the point of breakage. Kiba's nose flared dangerously and his mouth was set in a firm scowl. "What did you just say, punk?"

"Don't be such a prude!" The guy nudged him playfully with his elbow while chuckling unabashedly.

"Do you want to die?" Kiba sprung up and grabbed by the collar, almost choking the fellow, which was his plan. Kiba got into the man's face threateningly. This guy was damn lucky he didn't bring Akamaru with him tonight. Otherwise, Akuya would've been shredded to bits by now.

Akuya disregarded the sudden approach of death and slapped Kiba's shoulder jokingly. "Don't tell me you have feelings for her?" He smirked at Kiba's dark expressson. "Oh my, you do, don't you?" He laughed maniacally. "I mean she's got some nice assets, but that's all she's good—!" He was interrupted by a swift punch to the face. Akuya flew across the poorly lit room and hit one of the tables, knocking it over and breaking it.

"_I_ will defend the honor of Neji Hyuga." Kiba stalked closer to him, untamed anger evident in his eyes. "_You_ will face the wrath of Kiba Inuzuka." Grabbing the scruff of his neck, Kiba balled up his other hand. "And you, _Akuya_, will not enjoy it." A hard blow was delivered to the guy's nose, instantly breaking it. Blood surged out and seeped the shirt. The next hit was an uppercut, perfectly connecting with the underneath of Akuya's chin. He sailed backwards and hit the wall. Kiba grabbed his shirt and kneed him in the gut. The man doubled over and coughed up blood. Akuya collapsed on the ground in a bloody heap. Still unsatisfied, Kiba grabbed a chair and smashed it over him with all his strength. Haughtily smirking, he savored his drunken victory.

"What the hell are you doing, you crazy bastard?!" Reflexively, he straightened his posture and schooled his facial features into a congenial expression.

"Nothing." Kiba replied automatically.

"I leave you alone for two minutes and you get into a bar fight!" She scolded him then turned her attention to the bartender. "And you!" she pointed an accusing finger. "Why didn't you stop it?" The bartender raised his hands up in surrender and slowly ducked down until he disappeared from view behind the bar. "What the fuck were you thinking?" Tenten resumed her attention back on Kiba and glared at him frighteningly.

"I was doing you a favor!" Kiba fired back immediately, the liquid courage fueling his rage. "That guy was a total douche bag!"

"I didn't ask for you help! I'm a big girl. I can handle these things!" She flailed her arms wildly almost hitting Kiba square in the face. "Why does everyone keep insisting I can't?!"

"You can only be a big girl if you're transitioning from diapers to pull-ups." Kiba blurted out. "You're not ready for these kinds of things. Stop trying to act like you are."

Tenten masked her pain. He was supposed to understand. Out of everyone, she would've never thought Kiba would tell her she wasn't good enough. She closed her eyes and spit out deadlier poison in retaliation. "You act as if you are some higher being or something! Last time I checked, I'm not the one pathetically drinking away my problems in a foreign bar like you!"

"Shut up!" He glared at her. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Kiba gripped his head and pulled his hair. "It's better than being used like a whore!"

She took a step back. "You asshole!" Surprise was evident in her face.

"Don't act like a saint now."

"I wasn't going to—"

"Save it, princess. Skinny guys only want to get into your panties and fat guys only want to get into your pantries." He gestured to the unconscious man on the floor. "And he is definitely not fat."

Tenten punched him in the arm not so lightly. "It's not what you think!"

"What is it then?" He rubbed his arm soothingly, but continued to maintain his belligerence. His maliciousness disappeared into thin air.

"I'm on a mission, you twerp! And you just ruined it!" She threw up her hands in exasperation.

"One of those kunoichi missions?" Kiba stared inquisitively at her, the cogs gradually clicking into place in his head.

"Yes." Tenten, unlike Akamaru, could facepalm herself, and did, multiple times.

"Oh…" his cheeks tinged pink, "my bad." He looked at Tenten remorsefully, "this one's on me."

There was actually a reason why Kiba was nosey. A motive only a few observant people like Tenten knew. It was to escape his own life and immerse himself in someone else's, just to distract himself from his heartache for a little while.

* * *

><p>This was basically why I was so reluctant to update. I'm not so skilled when writing about Kiba. My first draft was a total failure. It would have made all of you cringe and keel over from the badness of it. I hope this chapter wasn't that bad.<p>

Review :)

-Neji'sGirl185


	14. Genma: Meticulous

**A/N: **Hey, here's an update! I was thinking about who to do next and well he just popped up. I really think he's one of the coolest characters in Naruto just because he has that vibe.

Special thanks to all reviewers and readers who favorited and alerted! **Introverted-Verses, Animefangirl95, Dreaming101, xBitterSweetDreamsx, pusa. is. me, fashionablysteverogers, TheResistance5, Ichigo-chan, FruitySmell, horrorfanaddict, Kanarazi, DragonShenron, **and **ihaveprobs**! I couldn't have finished this chapter as quickly without you! :)

And Happy Birthday Tenten! :D

Enjoy :)

* * *

><p><strong><span>Best Buds<span>  
><strong>

***-Genma Shiranui-***

_Genma Shiranui was a meticulous person when he wanted to be. Those instances of thoroughness would only occur when he was escaping from Gai—who was a lot smarter than he led on—or when it concerned his image as a badass ninja. _

_His slouched posture was not as effortless as it appeared to be. He practically had to fight off his own grandmother for the bandana. The majority of his teenage years were sacrificed to grow out his hair to give him the rebellious edge. As for the eyebrows, those were a pain to keep at the mandatory heartthrob arch angle. And the senbon in his mouth utterly disorientated his taste buds. Not to mention the potential safety hazard it presented. But after years of construction, Genma's guise was complete. And it was destroyed in one afternoon by a little girl and her brother. _

_The first time he talked to her, his favorite senbon was held as hostage. The day was supposed to be peaceful. He should've begun his day after noon. Then, he could've taken a leisurely stroll through the main streets while chatting with a few girls. After that, he would've gone home, bust out the instant ramen, and call it a day. Instead, he was woken up at the pre-crack of dawn to go train, with Gai of all people. That alone hurled Genma's day down the metaphorical drain._

_ Genma was weaving through the dense forest, having successfully lost Gai somewhere between the first and second lap around the village. Currently, he was in a bad mood due to the extremely youthful warm up exercises. Five thousand triple clap pushups did not count as warm ups. It was a death sentence. Swishing the senbon around his mouth, Genma headed to his super secret hiding place of awesomeness—the place where, since he was eight, he had never been found by Gai in. _

_ Arriving at the small stream, Genma felt his aggravation increase tenfold. There was someone sitting in his spot. __**His**__ spot. Now his spot wasn't anything special, just a boulder sitting on the grassy banks shaded by some ordinary trees. On any other day, he would've just left the person alone and gone somewhere else. But since his day had not been ideal, Genma couldn't let the incident slide. He didn't care if that little monster had the cutest hair buns ever. That chunk of rock was his, and by all means, he was going to recapture it._

_ With mildly suppressed aggression and annoyance, he stomped up to the little girl skipping smaller rocks across the water. "You're in my spot, kid." And then he promptly shoved her off the rock, toppling her to the ground, and spread himself out on the slab of stone._

_ "Hey! Who do you think you are?!" She raised herself up and narrowed her eyes at him with both hands were on her hips. Her mouth was downturned into a frown and her eyebrows were furrowed. Genma, although he shouldn't have, found enjoyment in annoying her. No wonder why Gai and Ebisu were always in a good mood. Pissing people off was so much fun._

_ "I'm Genma." he told her blandly and readjusted his sitting position to a more comfortable one, crossing his legs in Indian style._

_ "I don't care what your name is!" she shouted and stomped her foot._

_ "You asked." Genma waved her off nonchalantly._

_ Furiously, the little girl blew her bangs out of her face in exasperation. "I'm this close to punching your face." _

_ "Hi This-close-to-punching-your-face. Nice to meet you." Genma smirked as her face grew red with anger. "Your parents are weird for naming you that."_

_ "It's Tenten! And you're rude!" Tenten crossed her arms and clenched her jaw tightly._

_ He snorted condescendingly. "Your words have wounded me."_

_ "You're a—you're a—" Her lack of eloquence made her bit her lip. "You're a—" She scrunched up her face in rage. Where was Neji to insult people cleverly when you needed him?_

_ "Oh dear, I think she's going to blow." His shoulders slumped and Genma's face was set in a mock pout. "I don't want to spend my day cleaning up kid guts, so if you could be so kind as to scoot to the other side of the stream…"_

_ "You're a nose picker!" Tenten smiled cheekily like she just won the biggest prize._

_ Genma almost toppled over from the anticlimactic taunt. "Wow, I haven't been called one of those since I was six. I don't think you can do any worse than that." _

_ "That's it!" She marched up to him. Quirking her mouth to the side, she stared at Genma in indignation. A moment later, she raised her arms and pushed Genma with all her might, but he didn't budge an inch. Merely, he scoffed and twirled the senbon in his mouth._

_ "Put your back into it. Use those biceps like you mean it." His mouth twisted into a small smile at her efforts of heeding his advice. Tenten dug her heels into the ground and shoved harder, pressing the side of her face to his back. Genma leaned backwards further to foil her progress._

_ "Aish!" She gave up and collapsed on the ground. Her arms and legs flopped awkwardly, taking up as much space as possible on the bank. "You need to lose weight, fatty."_

_ Genma snickered and inclined forward again. "You need to get muscle, wimp."_

_ As she was about to retort, a voice rang through the woods. "Oi Tenten." Her ears perked up and her lips slowly curved into an adorable smile. Tenten stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. "Do you want lunch or not?" The familiarity of the drawled out tone struck Genma and his eye twitched as he matched a name to the voice. "Hey, hide n' seek is for losers and babies!" _

_Tenten just scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest, waiting patiently by Genma. "It is not! It is a highly sophisticated form of entertainment that requires an enormous amount of tact, instinct, and camouflaging abilities!" _

_ A figure broke through the masses of trees. Kakashi casually waved and placed his hand in his pocket. If he was surprised at Genma's presence, he didn't show it. Not that he could show much behind his mask. Genma only managed to half-heartedly nod. _

_ "There you are kiddo." Walking over, Kakashi held out his hand towards Tenten who immediately bounded over and clutched his hand. In return, Kakashi used his free hand to flick her forehead affectionately._

"_Ow!" Tenten impulsively doubled over and rubbed the sore spot with her other hand. "It hurts…"_

_His visible eye crinkled in amusement. "Let's go. I made something edible this time."_

_ She looked at him with sheer disbelief and wrinkled her nose. "It doesn't count if it's burned."_

_ "Is that so?" Kakashi rubbed his neck in embarrassment. "Oh. Well then never mind."_

_ Caressing her chin in deliberation, Tenten looked quizzically at Kakashi. Then, she turned to Genma and looked at him pleadingly. _

"_No way." Genma shook his head dramatically. "I'm not cooking for you." Her shoulders slumped and she stuck out her bottom lip, giving him a gloomy puppy dog face. His gaze hardened. "No." Tenten's eyes watered and she sniffled loudly. When Genma didn't respond, she refocused her attention back on Kakashi. _

"_Do you think we can stop by Itachi's house to get some food?" Her voice came out as a whisper._

_ "No, no that's not a good idea." Squinting his eye shut, Kakashi continued to rub his neck guiltily. "I just called him a sanity deprived egghead this morning."_

_ Tenten's jaw dropped and her head bent down to smack against her hand. "Nii-san! He was our only food source! How are we supposed to eat now?" Kakashi raised his eyes to the heavens, searching for an answer while Genma scrutinized the two questioningly. The girl—Tenten, he added in his mind—was abnormal, in the least offensive way possible. And Kakashi, although not like Gai, was pretty weird himself. Indeed, he could see the familial resemblance. Panic coursed through his veins and Genma silently prayed to any and all higher beings that there were only two of them. The village was already overflowing with lunatics as it was; it certainly didn't need any more._

_ "We could go to Neji's house." Kakashi finally responded after minutes of noiselessness._

_ It was Tenten's turn to look sheepish. "Oh…well yesterday we got in a fight—"_

_ "I'm shocked." But his expression said anything but that._

_ "—and I told him I hoped he went bald…" Their voices began to fade as they ambled out of the forest. When he could no longer see their outlines, Genma reclined back on the rock and exhaled a sigh of relief. Gliding his arms under his head and closing his eyes, he relished the beauty of silence and started devising how he was going to avoid some specific people for the rest of his life._

_ As he was about to doze off, his senbon was snatched out of his mouth, startling him to reality. Whipping his head up, he could only see blurs of brown and silver. "Why?" Genma whined as his head slumped back against the rock in agonized defeat. "Why me?"_

_ Uncontained giggles reached his ears. "If you want it back, make us food!"_

_ That afternoon, as well as for the rest of the week, Genma was stuck in a frilly, pink apron that read, "kiss the cook" three times a day. And the bad boy image he meticulously crafted over the years crumbled down to ruins._

*..*..*..*..*..*

Genma's heart pounded against his chest erratically. His breaths were coming out in short bursts. The appendages known as his legs burned from overuse while his arms were sore from their wild and rampant pumping. Looking over his shoulder, Genma cursed his existence as he began sprinting down the street again.

"Genma! My youthful former teammate! It has been a long time since I have last seen you! Stop running away so we can youthfully reconnect through some youthful sweat-generating training!" Turning his head, Genma witnessed Gai's blinding grin directed towards him.

"Hell no!" Genma drastically increased his rapidity and curved into a crowded street, merging with the bee-like civilians.

"I youthfully missed you!" By now, Gai was crying rivers, one of his many strategies to make Genma feel blameworthy. It never worked.

"I didn't!" He slid under a cabbage cart and darted into the alley. Taking turns when he felt like it, Genma realized he ended up in the quieter part of town. His eyes scanned the vicinity for a suitable hideout. A library entered his field of vision and he quickly ducked inside. Gai would never be allowed within that kind of soundless environment.

Heading to the area farthest away from the door, he nodded coolly to the librarian and plucked a random book off of the shelf. Reaching the corner, Genma paused to stare incredulously at the person occupying one of the two cozy chairs. The person's legs were folded on top of each other on the seat and their hands held the book up, shielding their face. Two brown buns peeked out over the top of the novel.

"What are you doing here?" He wheezed out. The book dropped from its position in the air to her lap. A face that had matured and lost all semblance of baby fat from childhood stared at him blankly in return .

"Hiding from Gai-sensei. You?"

Genma's mouth curled up into a small smirk. "Me too."

Tenten's eyes filled with mirth. "Great minds think alike. Hopefully, we'll last a couple hours in here." She beamed and resumed her reading. He collapsed in the other chair, arms and legs sprawled out.

"I thought your safe haven was the poetry café by the outskirts of the village." Genma tossed his head against the back of the chair and put an arm over his eyes.

Tenten pulled her mouth into a pitiful scowl. "He found that place less than a week ago."

"You should try the tea house a couple blocks down from the village gates." Genma straightened up and started fixing his bandana at a tedious pace. "He's been banned there for life."

"Really?" Her voice filled with genuine interest and curiosity. "What did he do?" She leaned towards him unconsciously.

"He's Gai. What else do you expect?" When he shifted his gaze over to her, he was met with beseeching eyes. Genma let out a sigh and relented. "To summarize things up, he ruined a surprise party, swallowed an engagement ring, spit out his tea all over the daimyo's son, accidentally groped several women and men, and broke seven tea sets. Oh, and a wall."

"No way!" Tenten sucked in a breath. "That is so like him!" She erupted into a fit of laughter with tears forming at the corner of her eyes. Clutching her stomach, Tenten tried to stifle her chuckles. The book lovers in the building glowered at her with scorching hate. Tenten held up her hands, trying to convey her apologies. "Sorry, sorry."

"I'm glad you find it so funny." He attempted to remove the wrinkles from his shirt. "We almost didn't make it out of there with our pants on."

"If it's funny, I'm going to laugh."

"I'm truly grateful that I have such a supporting best friend like you. This is what I think about right before I go to bed." After smoothing out the wrinkles on some places, he started crumpling the material over the other areas.

"What are you doing?" Flabbergasted, Tenten openly gaped at him.

"I'm redistributing the wrinkles on my shirt." His tone was plain as if he was conversing about the weather.

Tenten creased her eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"

"Because that's what Santa told me to do last night." Genma deadpanned sarcastically while he painstakingly inspected his shirt.

"Santa only talks to good boys and girls." Genma just shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "But why would you unwrinkle your shirt just to wrinkle it again? That's so stupid."

"It's not stupid. It's a scientific art. If there are too many creases, you're a slob. If there are not enough, you're a prick. There has to be the right balance that makes you look incredibly good but still says 'I don't care.'" Softly, he brushed off his newly rumpled shirt.

"But you do care." She pointed out smugly.

"Shut up." Genma glared at her while she sniggered behind her book. "You are so unappreciative of—"

"Genma! My youthful former teammate! Are you in this youthful library youthfully increasing your knowledge?"

"Shit." They both spoke simultaneously. A look of understanding passed between the two and at the count of three, the duo charged out of the library at full speed.

"Hey! Where are you going with the youthful flower of Team Gai!?"

No matter how meticulous Genma was in developing plans, they always went astray whenever the Weapon Mistress and her sensei were involved.

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-Neji'sGirl185


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